Gentleman? If Only He’d Be One

Our apologies to the rest of the country for Bob Dornan. He’s a throwback to the days of the old Orange County--the one the world used to smirk about because of its John Birch Society image. This week Dornan became an official embarrassment.

Dornan, 66, is the former Republican congressman from Garden Grove who lost his seat last November to Democrat Loretta Sanchez. Thursday, he was temporarily banned from the House of Representatives for improper behavior. It’s a move that House parliamentarians say is unprecedented. Dornan is not the only person to lose his or her temper on the House floor. He’s just the first to drop his pacifier.

As a courtesy, the House allows former members access to the floor of that historic room, or adjoining areas, as long as they aren’t lobbying to influence legislation. Dornan was only lobbying to get his job back. His claim of election fraud in his defeat last year is due to be heard soon by a congressional committee.

On Wednesday, Dornan was unhappy with Rep. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), a staunch Sanchez supporter. During their heated argument, Dornan called him a coward, challenged his Catholicism, shouted profanity at him, and--according to Menendez--suggested they step outside to settle their differences. Menendez took that to mean fisticuffs; Dornan says he only meant further discussion.

Not that using brute force would be new to Dornan. He once angrily grabbed a fellow congressman’s tie in an argument, creating quite a public flap. Later, Dornan tried to laugh it off by saying he was just straightening the man’s tie.

The ban against Dornan will remain until his election challenge is completed. Some members of Congress have told my Times colleagues in Washington that he’s hurt his own cause with his actions this week; but some committee members say they will try to remain objective.

Defenders say Dornan is merely emotional about issues he believes in. Seems to me he’s emotional about getting his way.

This is the same Bob Dornan who, last December, decided to chalk up one last $4,000 joy ride aboard an Air Force jet before leaving office. He’s the same fellow who was bounced off a commercial airplane by the pilot in 1991 for refusing to put his seat in the “upright position” before takeoff. Dornan said a doctor advised him against it because he was recovering from hip surgery. This is the congressman who ran that dreadful series of pictures of Sanchez in his campaign mailer that made her look like a vampire.

Hearing about his latest brouhaha, I couldn’t help but think back to the 1984 election, when Dornan, a former Santa Monica-area congressman, ousted veteran Democrat Jerry M. Patterson from his congressional seat. Riding in on Ronald Reagan’s coattails, Dornan ran his usual underhanded campaign--calling Patterson at one point a “sneaky little dirtbag.”

I asked Patterson, now an Orange County attorney, if Dornan’s antics in Washington this week reminded him of that 1984 election. Of course they did.

“Dornan is such an embarrassment for this county,” Patterson said. “But when you look at the House votes against him, I really think he’s worn out his welcome.”

The House vote of 289 to 65 to ban Dornan included 111 Republicans against him. The Republicans from the Orange County delegation did vote in his favor. But, says Patterson, “that was mainly out of loyalty; or maybe they were afraid he’d try to straighten their ties.”

Patterson is convinced this episode finishes Dornan’s political career in Orange County. Dornan’s wife, Sally, told one of my colleagues Friday she’s so upset about the vote to ban him from the House floor that she’s going to leave the Republican Party. Maybe her husband will join her.

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Picnics & History: The San Juan Capistrano Mission was a working farm in the early part of the 1800s. The padres and herdsmen would travel as far as Costa Mesa to watch over their vast herds of cattle. A restored adobe they built in the 1820s is still on the grounds at Estancia Park, 1900 Adams Ave. in Costa Mesa.

You can tour the adobe at an open house and picnic in the park today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s sponsored by the Costa Mesa Historical Society. Local historians from the mission will be on hand to talk about its ranching days 150 years ago.

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Walking with Friends: Though I sometimes wince at the theme phrases promoters like to add to events, I confess I like this one from the staff at the 6th annual Orange County Race for the Cure: “No woman with breast cancer should ever walk alone.”

Organizers of the Sept. 28 walk, which begins at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, have put out a call for more walkers, especially breast cancer survivors. More than 1,000 such women are expected to participate in a special Survivors Recognition Ceremony following the walk.

The money raised--$1.4 million so far--is divided between the Susan B. Komen Foundation’s national research efforts (25%) and local breast cancer programs (75%). Call (714) 224-0292 if you want more details.

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Wrap-Up: Dornan has made a career out of bombastic language. “Lesbian spear-chuckers” is probably his most famous line about his opponents. Then there was the attack on a “Masterpiece Theater” production on public TV as “a training ground for lesbians.” His attack on one congressional opponent as “guilty of influence peddling, bribery, extortion and dealing with teen-age prostitutes” (none ever proved) was typical of Dornan’s hateful style.

But reading through our past stories about Dornan, one piece where the language was calm stood out. It was written by his former chief of staff, Brian Bennett. He wrote in The Times that Dornan once lectured a group of visitors that “a sign of political maturity is how well one accommodates defeat.”

Let’s hope that Dornan gains a bit of maturity from this unpleasantness.

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Jerry Hicks’ column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Readers may reach Hicks by calling the Times Orange County Edition at (714) 966-7823 or by fax to (714) 966-7711, or e-mail to [email protected]