I had an opportunity a few weeks ago to have lunch with Rich Wagner, the President of the Orange 
County Lincoln Club. Instead of a smoke-filled back room, we enjoyed our meal on the smoke-filled patio of Zov’s Bistro in Tustin, as ashes from the nearby wildfires on the east end of the country rained down upon us.
The uptick of the meeting was that Rich was very excited and enthusiastic about the coming elections, and shared with me that the Lincoln Club, by all objective standards (number of members, level of involvement, etc.) was doing better than it has in years. This is a good thing because the Lincoln Club for decades has played a key role in making sure that it is Republicans that govern Orange County, and that we elect a delegation of solid GOPers to represent "The OC" in Washington, D.C. and in Sacramento.
Rich was in the final stages of negotiating an appearance by Governor Schwarzenegger at an event for the Lincoln Club. I was actually surprised that this hadn’t happenned before, given the key role (under the leadership of former LC Prez Tracy Price) that the group played in giving early support to the Gray Davis Recall (well before everyone piled on) and also their early, high-profile endorsement of Schwarzenegger.
I’m not saying that the Lincoln Club and the moderate jet-set New Majority are in competition with each other — but it is true that both are considered Republican donor groups. The nucleus of the New Majority is made up of people who are so wealthy that they are responsible for donating literally millions of dollars to the Governor’s campaign, and to the causes that he has championed.
With that kind of support, it is no wonder that the Governor has appeared at functions for the NM or 
hosted by the NM on a number of occasions. There was one such event earlier this week that was featured in the Orange County Register. FR friend Tom Tucker, a leader of the NM, characterized the event in the paper as a thank you to the NM for what amounted to 12 million in support from members of the group.
But what of the Lincoln Club? Well, they finally penned a reception with the Governor that was to take place this afternoon. I spoke to many LC members who were excited to come and hear from the Governor, some excited to meet a celebrity, some wanting to offer their counsel on some of his recent policy shifts. But, alas, it was not meant to be.
It was almost midnight last night when I got a call from State Senate Republican Leader Dick Ackerman. The Senator told me that he had been locked in negotiations with the Governor and Senate President Don Perata until just minutes before, trying to work out some sort of acceptable infrastructure package. The Senator said the Governor wanted to meet even later, but they he and Perata were calling it quits for the night, but would return to the grindstone this morning.
So, frankly, I wasn’t surprised when I heard from several LC members today, with disappointment, that the Governor cancelled out on his long-overdue reception with this fine GOP group. The reason, of course, was the accelerated pace of negotiations in the capitol, and the need to stay there and accomplish the work for which Governors are elected.
While I haven’t spoken to Rich Wagner, I know that he must be disappointed that this event didn’t work out. But I’m sure they will reschedule soon. I will share this thought with any LC members who read this — I have no doubt of the Governor’s sincerely, and that his conflict was genuine. I also am confident that he will reschedule with the group. I decided to write on this after two people asked me if I thought that this was a ‘slight’ against the LC, and a tipping of the hat to the NM — clearly I don’t think that is the case at all.
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There’s an update to this story: Over at the OC Register’s Total Buzz column, Martin Wisckol posts an interview with Wagner, who says that the Governor will now be featured at the LC’s upcoming Annual Dinner. Sounds like a win-win from where I sit!