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B1 Bob Dornan

"B-1" Bob Dornan - avoided Korean War combat duty by enrolling in college acting classes (Orange County Weekly article). Enlisted only after the fighting was over in Korea.

Even in a campaign with some wild personalities, "B-1" Bob Dornan stands out as a character. And he is not the simple right-wing fanatic many think he is. This surfer has some claim to protecting the environment, and was a civil rights activist in the early 1960s. He also flew mercy flights into Biafra in the 1960s.

Click on the allegation of your choice:

Bounced House checks for the Virgin Mary; his wife accused him of beating her; Top Gun or Lousy Pilot? -- Punched a Democrat on the floor of Congress; Show-Biz Kid; his character; Quotes; Sources

Quotes

"People elected a governor and I have a screaming transvestite in my ear." - Bob Dornan

"Every lesbian spearchucker is hoping I get defeated." -- Bob Dornan

Cashing Checks for the Virgin Mary

The House Banking scandal embarrassed a number of politicians, including Newt Gingrich (who bounced 22 checks), but Dornan deserves a prize for the best cheesy excuse in all of politics.

He said that he wrote the check he bounced to pay for a grotto of the Virgin Mary in his back yard. He won re-election to his heavily Catholic district.

Wife Beating

Dornan's wife Sallie has left him 3 or 4 times, and alleged in several aborted divorce suits over 16 years that he beat her. For example, in her 1961 divorce suit she stated under oath that he "dragged her about the home... by her hair and ... exhibited a revolver."

In June 1966, Dornan was found guilty of a "violent attack" on his wife and was ordered to go to jail, though police records do not show him actually serving any time.

After Dornan's opponent in his 1992 re-election brought up these old charges, Sallie recanted, saying that alcohol and drug addiction drove her to falsely accuse him of beating her. She said "I am a Christian. I am a good wife. I am a good mother, but I sure as hell wasn't then. It's just very sad that Bob had to suffer what I brought down on his head through illness, major illness." Sad, indeed.

Beating Up On Democrats -- Literally

Dornan punched Democratic Congressman Tom Downey, a Democrat from Long Island, on the floor of the House of Representatives. Granted, that's a lot more entertaining than your average congressional debate, but many people consider it over the top.

Character

Dornan is often pegged (along with William Dannemeyer) as one of Orange County's two insanely right wing Congressman. And that is more or less true. But he's not nearly that simple.

Dornan was a civil rights activist who stood by Martin Luther King during the 1963 March on Washington and helped register black voters in Philadelphia, Mississippi during 1964. He is a surfer who staunchly opposes offshore oil drilling (at least in California.)

Orange County is not all rich, white, and Republican. Dornan's district is majority hispanic; his fervent Catholicism, military service, social conservatism and macho-ness all get him re-elected, as much or more than his Republicanism.

Dornan is also a show biz kid. His mother, Bara Wilkes, was a vaudeville performer in the 1920s; his father Harry Dornan was an Olympic boxing coach and businessman; andhis uncle played the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.

Dornan's own show biz career includes work as a talk show host in LA, substituting for Rush Limbaugh when he is on vacation(Bob is MUCH more conservative), his stint in Congress of course, and a starring role in at least one movie - "Starfighters" (1959) - which was bad enough to be featured on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" last November. He won two Emmy awards, one for producing the LA talk show "Tempo".

Top Gun?? Or Lousy Pilot?

Dornan was a fighter pilot who flew several varied aircraft and worked in Air Force Intelligence. He has claimed that he was a "shit-hot fighter pilot", and builds up his military history. He has described himself as fighting in Vietnam, though his active service was actually before that. His work in Vietnam was as a combat photographer, no cakewalk but not fighting either.

A Newsweek sharply attacked his claims of military fame. In "little more than a year of active-duty service and a reserve stint," the magazine said, hecrashed three jets and one helicopter -- "one wreck shy of the dubious distinction 'Black Ace.'" When asked for comment, he told Newsweek "You can write it up any fucking way you want."

Newsweek's claims are a bit suspect themselves. The notion of the Black Ace is bizarre on it's face -- how many people would survive 4 crashes to qualify for a fifth? And a 20 year Air Force veteran (9 years flying) wrote us saying he had never heard of the term.

According to a sympathetic biography of Dornan by Andrew Sears, an MIT student, he joined the Air Force in 1953 and began flying "as soon as he earned his silver wings", until 1958. Not knowing how long training takes, it appears Newsweek underplayed the length of his service; they certainly minimized 17 years of reserve and guard duty as "a reserve stint."

Clearly he crashed a lot; even the sympathetic biography says "He survived two jet fighter emergency parachute ejections as well as two "dead stick" forced landings (F-100 jet fighter and H-13 solo helicopter)." How much these indicate poor piloting, and how much his survival indicates piloting skill, we don't know. (Our admittedly conservative Air Force source says that dead stick landings of an F-100, the first production supersonic plane, are very tough.)

He served on the Intelligence Committee when still in Congress, and -- more productively -- also flew mercy flights into Biafra in the 1960s.

Sources

Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1993 pE1

Newsweek, May 1, 1995 p70 

Andrew Sears, "Representative Robert K. Dornan" Biography, 1996?

Scripps-Howard News Service, February 9, 1995

"House Race Briefing: CA 38", BACK TO SKELETON CLOSET

Paid for by Real People For Real Change and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

wiki

Robert Kenneth "Bob" Dornan (born April 3, 1933) is a Republican and former member of the United States House of Representatives from California and a vocal advocate of pro-life and social conservativecauses.

A boisterous former actor and television talk show host, Dornanhad a flair for the dramatic that drew him supporters and detractors well beyond his congressional districts. Though never a major power in Washington, he became one of the most well-known members of the House of Representatives and has been described as "one of the leading firebrands among American politicians."[1]

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Dornan attended Loyola University of Los Angeles (later renamed Loyola Marymount University) until 1953. At age 19, Dornan volunteered to join the United States Air Force. During his time in the USAF, he survived two emergency parachute ejections and two "dead stick" forced landings (including one of an F-100). Dornan also served as a photographer during the Vietnam War and flew relief flights into Biafra. He was an active duty serviceman in USAF until 1958, reaching the rank of Captain.[2] He then served in the Air Force Reserve until 1975.[2]

Bob Dornan took an active role in the civil rights movement. He took part in the historic 1963 March on Washington led by Martin Luther King Jr. The following year he helped register African Americans to vote inMississippi.[3][4][5]

Dornan was involved in the entertainment industry. He starred in the film The Starfighters, cast as an Air Force pilot whose father is a U.S. congressman. The Starfighters aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

In 1962, he portrayed Air Force Lieutenant Alden in the episode "Dennis at Boot Camp" of the CBS sitcom,Dennis the Menace, starring Jay North and Gale Gordon, with Roy Roberts in this segment as Captain Stone.[6]

Dornan had a frequent role as Captain Fowler on ABC's Twelve O'Clock High television series and smaller roles on ABC's Bewitched and NBC's**I Dream of Jeannie**. Dornan was an Emmy-award winning televisiontalk show host on Tempo and The Robert K. Dornan Show broadcast from Los Angeles from 1967 to 1973.

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Dornan moved into politics in 1973 as national spokesman for the Citizens for Decency Through Law advocacy group. He made an unsuccessful run for mayor of Los Angeles the same year. In 1976, Dornan was elected to the House of Representatives, representing the 27th Congressional District in western Los Angeles County. He was re-elected twice. He was such an unswerving advocate for the development of theB-1 bomber, that he was soon nicknamed "B-1 Bob."

After the 1980 census, California's congressional map was redrawn. Dornan's district, previously a Republican-leaning swing district, was made significantly more Democratic. Believing he had no chance of winning this new district, he opted to run for theUnited States Senate in 1982. He finished fourth in the Republican primary behind San Diego mayor and future Governor Pete Wilson, who won in November.

Dornan made headlines in March 1985 for a confrontation with Representative Thomas Downey (D-NY) on the House floor. Downey asked Dornan about comments he had made calling Downey "a draft-dodging wimp." According to Downey, Dornan, grabbing him by collar and tie, said, "It's good you're being protected by thesergeant-at-arms. If I saw you outside, it would be a different story" and threatened him "with some form of bodily harm." Dornan claimed he was merely straightening Downey's tie and refused to apologize for the incident or the derogatory comment. A Dornan aide said, "It will be a cold day in hell before he gets an apology from Bob Dornan."[7]Dornan moved to Garden Grove, in the more Republican Orange County. In 1984, he was elected to Congress from the 38th District in central Orange County, defeating 10-year Democratic incumbent Jerry M. Patterson by a 53% to 45% margin amid Ronald Reagan's massive landslide that year. In 1986, he won a tough race against Democratic state Assemblyman Richard Robinson, winning by a 55% to 43% margin. He was re-elected four more times and served on the Intelligence Committee. His district was renumbered as the 46th District after the 1990 Census.

Dornan was staunchly conservative. However, he held some positions that some might call liberal, including sponsoring animal protection acts, earning recognition by PETA.

In 1995, he received a minor reprimand from the House for stating in a floor speech that President Bill Clintonhad "given aid and comfort to the enemy" during the Vietnam War. In 1996, Dornan ran for President of the United States, using his campaign primarily as a vehicle to continue to criticize Clinton. In a GOP debate in Iowa on January 13, Dornan called Clinton a "criminal" and a "pathological liar." When asked why voters should choose Dornan over his Republican rivals to challenge Clinton in the general election, he argued that he had more children and grandchildren than the others, with only Richard Lugar coming anywhere near him on that score.[citation needed]

In 1997, Dornan sought and received information concerning reports that Israel had purportedly received from former military men who had emigrated from the Soviet Union, concerning an alleged successful water landing of the KAL 007 airliner, shot down by the Soviet Union in 1983. These included what Dornan termed "credible reports" of the supposed survival of Congressman Larry McDonald of Georgia, who had been a passenger on KAL 007, and Dornan featured this on his radio program.

For his final successful run for Congress, Dornan had signs posted at polling places that warned voters in Spanish that they should be prepared to prove their citizenship in order to vote, suggesting that immigration officials would be present. The success of this action was believed to have kept enough Latino voters away from the polls to eke out a final victory for Dornan against Mike Farber in an election that featured allegations of domestic violence by Dornan.[8]A long court battle deemed these signs illegal and inappropriate, and he was not able to post them again at the next election, which he then lost to Loretta Sanchez.

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Shut Up Fag!

During his political career, Dornan became known for his controversial or offensive statements. Among his remarks:

In 1994, a 120-page book of quotations of Dornan was compiled by Nathan Callahan and William Payton and published as Shut Up, Fag! The quotation that gives the book the title was actually shouted by Dornan's wife, Sallie, at an AIDS activist during an Orange County town forum. Dornan claimed the book was backed by director Oliver Stone, whom Dornan labeled "a Bolshevik enemy".[15]

Dornan's comments and behavior have led his political opponents to question his mental health. Mike Kaspar of the Orange County Democratic Party said, "The primary issue is Bob Dornan, himself. I think his character and his own sanity are an issue here."[16] At a White House Correspondents Dinner, Al Franken (who is actually a friend of Dornan) joked "having Al D'Amato leading an ethics investigation is like getting Bob Dornan to head up a mental health task force."[17] Michael Moore devoted an entire chapter of his book Downsize This! to his efforts to get Dornan involuntarily committed for psychiatric examination.[18]

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Dornan's district had always been considered the only Orange County district where a Democrat had a realistic chance of winning. However, it became even more Democratic after the 1990 Census, when it absorbed a considerably larger number of Latino voters than he had previously represented. After failing to win the GOP presidential nomination in 1996, Dornan ran for reelection to the House against Loretta Sanchez, a Latina and former Republican who had switched parties and run as a Democrat. Dornan lost by 979 votes.

Following the narrow defeat, Dornan alleged that Sanchez's winning margin was provided by illegal voting from non-U.S. citizens. A thirteen-month House of Representatives investigation ensued, during which Sanchez was seated provisionally, pending the inquiry.[19] A task force found 748 votes that had been cast illegally—624 from non-citizens in addition to 124 that had already been thrown out by California officials. This was not enough to overturn Sanchez' margin of victory and she was allowed to keep her seat.[20] However, in consultation with the INS, the House committee identified as many as 4,700 questionable registration affidavits.[21] The probe was dropped before these affidavits could be investigated.

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Dornan sought a rematch against Sanchez in 1998, but was badly defeated.

In 2004, Dornan challenged Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a fellow Republican, in the primary. Dornan charged Rohrabacher with being soft on terrorism and being too close to Islamic extremists. However, he lost by an 84% to 16% margin. Dornan remained in his Virginia home, appearing at conservative functions and conservative talk radio shows.[citation needed]

During the summer of 2005, Dornan briefly expressed interest in the 48th Congressional District seat that became vacant when Christopher Cox resigned to become Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He was interested in running as the nominee of the American Independent Party, but was rebuffed by party leaders in Orange County.

In December 2005, Dornan substituted for radio talk show host **Michael Savage**, criticizing George W. Bush for not moving for a formal Declaration of Warafter 9/11. He did so again on 12 April 2006.[citation needed]

Dornan currently works with the American Life League, his primary mission as a member of the American Life League team will be refocusing attention on the Right to Life Act, a proposal that establishes the personhood of each human being as beginning at fertilization.

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  1. ^ Barone, Michael; Ujifusa, Grant (1996). The Almanac of American Politics.National Journal. pp. 210–12. ISBN 0892340576.
  2. ^ a(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dornan#cite_ref-CongressBio_2-0) b(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dornan#cite_ref-CongressBio_2-1) Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  3. ^ William Claiborne, 'B-1 Bob' Is on the Attack Again," Washington Post, May 16, 1998.
  4. ^ "Bob Dornan On Civil Rights,"http://www.bobdornan.com/on_civil_rights.html.
  5. ^ Renee Tawa, "Dornan Presidential Campaign Staffers Fired for Using Racial Slurs," Los Angeles Times, September 2, 1995.
  6. ^ ""Dennis at Boot Camp", November 25, 1962". Internet Movie Data Base. Unknown parameter |accessdatde= ignored (help)
  7. ^ "Dornan Won't Apologize for Wimp Remark", Los Angeles Times, Mar 5, 1985. pg. 2.
  8. ^ "Dornan Challenges Foe's Claims of Spousal Abuse", Los Angeles Times, October 26, 1994. http://articles.latimes.com/1994-10-26/local/me-54824_1_spousal-abuse-charges
  9. ^ Dina ElBoghdady, "Dornan Accuses Fellow Republican of Being Gay",States News Service, March 24, 1994
  10. ^ United Press International, "Lawmaker Apologizes for 'Inelegant' Words",New York Times, Mar 1, 1986, pg. 1.11.
  11. ^ a(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dornan#cite_ref-NYTJune95_11-0) b(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dornan#cite_ref-NYTJune95_11-1) c(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dornan#cite_ref-NYTJune95_11-2) Francis X. Clines, " Appearing Nightly: Robert Dornan, Master of the Put-Down", New York Times, June 27, 1995
  12. ^ Romano, Lois "The Reliable Source", Washington Post, June 4, 1992, pg. c.03.
  13. ^ Jennifer Senior, "When Politicians Get Silly", New York Times, Mar 6, 1994. pg. A.1.
  14. ^ Time Magazine, December 2, 1996 v148 n25 p28(1)
  15. ^ Faye Fiore, "'Shut Up' Is Not in Dornan's Vocabulary," Los Angeles Times, Jul 15, 1994, p. 3.
  16. ^ Dana Parsons, "Democrats Unveil Weapon Against Dornan — Dornan,"Los Angeles Times, May 4, 1994, pg. 1.
  17. ^ Mark Schapiro, "The Salon Interview: Al Franken", Salon.com
  18. ^ Michael Moore, Downsize This! Random Threats from an Unarmed American," Harper, 1997
  19. ^ HeraldTribune.com - News - News stories about Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties in Florida, from the newspapers of record. - HeraldTribune.com
  20. ^ Proof Of Illegal Voters Falls Short, Keeping Sanchez In House - February 7, 1998
  21.  Warren, Peter (1997), "Signature Lists Sought in Sanchez Probe" Los Angeles Times November 17: A1.