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.

History and membership

The Lincoln Club of Orange County was formed in 1962 by Dr. Arnold O. Beckman, the founder of Beckman Instruments, Walter Knott

Walter Knott

Walter Marvin Knott was an American farmer who created the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in California....

, the founder of Knott’s Berry Farm, and Si Fluor of the Fluor Corporation, among others. Past members include President Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

 and actor John Wayne

John Wayne

Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...

. Today, its membership consists of businessmen and women in Orange County who come from a variety of industries.

Leadership

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.

Political activities

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

Gray Davis

Joseph Graham "Gray" Davis, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as California's 37th Governor from 1999 until being recalled in 2003...

 in 2003 and the 2004 election of North Dakota Senator John Thune

John Thune

John Randolph Thune is the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota and a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as a U.S. Representative for .-Early Life, Education:...

, who unseated then-Senate majority leader Tom Daschle

Tom Daschle

Thomas Andrew "Tom" Daschle is a former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

.

Since the Club's founding in 1962, nearly every Republican president has addressed the Club either before, during, or after his presidency. Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...

, Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

, George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

, and George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 have all addressed the Lincoln Club. Other speakers have included General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.

General Herbert Norman Schwarzkopf KCB , also known as "Stormin' Norman" and "The Bear", is a retired United States Army General who, while he served as Commander of U.S. Central Command, was commander of the Coalition Forces in the Gulf War of 1991.-Early life:Schwarzkopf was born in Trenton, New...

, Vicente Fox Quesada, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich

Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....

. More recently, speakers included political candidates such as Senator Jim DeMint

Jim DeMint

James Warren "Jim" DeMint is the junior U.S. Senator from South Carolina, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party and a leader in the Tea Party movement. He previously served as the U.S. Representative for from 1999 to 2005.-Early life and education:DeMint was born in...

, Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey

Pat Toomey

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Toomey, Sr. is the junior United States Senator for Pennsylvania and a member of the Republican Party. Previously, Toomey served as a U.S. Representative for three terms, but did not seek a fourth in compliance with a pledge he had made while running for office in 1998...

, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty

Tim Pawlenty

Timothy James "Tim" Pawlenty , also known affectionately among supporters as T-Paw, is an American politician who served as the 39th Governor of Minnesota . He was a Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election from May to August 2011...

, former Senator Norm Coleman

Norm Coleman

Norman Bertram Coleman, Jr. is an American attorney and politician. He was a United States senator from Minnesota from 2003 to 2009. Coleman was elected in 2002 and served in the 108th, 109th, and 110th Congresses. Before becoming a senator, he was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota, from 1994 to 2002...

 and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

Michele Bachmann

Michele Marie Bachmann is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing , a post she has held since 2007. The district includes several of the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities, such as Woodbury, and Blaine as well as Stillwater and St. Cloud.She is currently a...

. The Club has also hosted events with pundits such as Mark Steyn

Mark Steyn

Mark Steyn is a Canadian-born writer, conservative-leaning political commentator, and cultural critic. He has written five books, including America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, a New York Times bestseller...

, Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Goldberg

Jonah Jacob Goldberg is an American conservative syndicated columnist and author. Goldberg is known for his contributions on politics and culture to , of which he is editor-at-large...

, Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore may refer to:* Stephen Moore , Irish politician*Stephen Moore * Stephen Moore , English actor* Stephen Campbell Moore , English actor...

, Amity Shlaes

Amity Shlaes

Amity Ruth Shlaes is an American author and columnist from New York, who writes about politics and economics.-Education and career:...

, Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson is an American military historian, columnist, political essayist and former classics professor, notable as a scholar of ancient warfare. He has been a commentator on modern warfare and contemporary politics for National Review and other media outlets...

, and Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin

Michelle Malkin is an American conservative blogger, political commentator, and author. Her weekly syndicated column appears in a number of newspapers and websites. She is a Fox News Channel contributor and has been a guest on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and national radio programs...

.

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.

National issues

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

Citizens United

Citizens United is a conservative non-profit organization in the United States. Its president and chairman is David Bossie.-Overview:Citizens United describes its mission as being dedicated to restoring the United States government to "citizens' control" and to "assert American values of limited...

, from allowing the film to be shown on cable TV under the McCain-Feingold Act, also known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 is a United States federal law that amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, which regulates the financing of political campaigns. Its chief sponsors were Senators Russell Feingold and John McCain...

. Citizens United successfully challenged the campaign finance law at issue in the United States Supreme Court.

California issues

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

Tea Party Patriots

Tea Party Patriots is an American political organization that promotes "fiscally responsible" activism as part of the Tea Party movement. It claims to have over 1,000 local chapters...

, 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

Tom McClintock

Thomas Miller McClintock II is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Republican Party. He is a former Assemblyman and state Senator...

and Lincoln Club member Mark Bucher.