The Lincoln Club of Orange County, located in Orange County, California, is a non-profit corporation that operates Political Action Committees (PAC) for conservative political causes.
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The Lincoln Club of Orange County was formed in 1962 by Dr. Arnold O. Beckman, the founder of Beckman Instruments, Walter Knott, the founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, and Si Fluor of the Fluor Corporation, among others. Past members include President Richard Nixon and actor John Wayne. Today, its membership consists of businessmen and women in Orange County who come from a variety of industries.
The Lincoln Club is managed by the President, Chairman, two Vice Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary, and a Board of Directors. All positions are appointed. The President is elected by the Board and may serve for up to two two-year terms. Robert W. Loewen has been President since 2009, succeeding Richard K. Wagner, who now serves as Chairman. Within the Club, there are six standing committees: Local Elections, Legislative, Issues, Communications, Membership, and Programs. These committees meet on a monthly basis and are open to all members.
Throughout its history, the Lincoln Club of Orange County has been involved in many political issues. It was an early supporter of Proposition 13, the property tax reform voter initiative that led to a taxpayer revolt beginning in 1978. The Lincoln Club of Orange County also was an early supporter of the movement to recall Governor Gray Davis in 2003 and the 2004 election of North Dakota Senator John Thune, who unseated then-Senate majority leader Tom Daschle.
Since the Club's founding in 1962, nearly every Republican president has addressed the Club either before, during, or after his presidency. Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush have all addressed the Lincoln Club. Other speakers have included General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., Vicente Fox Quesada, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. More recently, speakers included political candidates such as Senator Jim DeMint, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Senator Norm Coleman and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. The Club has also hosted events with pundits such as Mark Steyn, Jonah Goldberg, Stephen Moore, Amity Shlaes, Victor Davis Hanson, and Michelle Malkin.
The Lincoln Club of Orange County is not affiliated with a political party, though it has historically supported Republicans. Each election cycle, the Club's Board of Directors endorses candidates in national, state and local elections, but it does not endorse in every race. The Club's Local Elections Committee conducts diligence on local candidates at the city council level based upon questionnaires, interviews, a review of past votes and inquiries of others who live in the area. The result is a list of endorsements to assist voters in selecting local office holders who will promote a government that aligns with the Club's standards. The Club's Legislative Committee researches the pros and cons of ballot measures and makes recommendations to the Club's membership, which then votes to determine the Club's position on each measure.
On a national scale, the Lincoln Club of Orange County works to reduce the size and function of the federal government, decrease government spending, and cut taxes. The Club is against centralized healthcare, regulations that hinder businesses, and government spending that pushes the country further into debt. In 2007, the Club was an Executive Producer of "Hillary the Movie," a documentary focusing on the controversial views of then-Senator Hillary Clinton, who was a candidate for President of the United States at that time. Though the film was shown at selected theaters and copies of the film were distributed, the Federal Elections Commission prohibited its producer, Citizens United, from allowing the film to be shown on cable TV under the McCain-Feingold Act, also known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. Citizens United successfully challenged the campaign finance law at issue in the United States Supreme Court.
In California, creating jobs and limiting the power of special-interest government groups are the top priorities for the Lincoln Club. In 2009, the Lincoln Club joined with the Tea Party Patriots, a grassroots political group, to create and support the Citizen Power Campaign, which sought to ban California labor unions from automatically deducting funds from union members' paychecks for political purposes without their consent. Though the initiative did not qualify for the 2010 ballot, the Lincoln Club has continued to support the Citizen Power Campaign. In November 2009, the Club and its members funded publication of Plunder: How Public Employee Unions are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation, written by Steven Greenhut with forwards by Tom McClintock and Lincoln Club member Mark Bucher.
Land of the Lincoln Club from the Orange County Business Journal, December 6, 1998
Fred Thompson announces his Presidential candidacy at Lincoln Club Annual Dinner (video) May 7, 2007
Lincoln Club of Orange County Endorses Shawn Nelson for Supervisor from the Fullerton Press Center, March 16, 2010
Lincoln Club of Orange County Endorses Ed Reno for Newport Beach City Council from Newport for Reno, March 15, 2010
Lincoln Club of Orange County home page August 4, 2010