California Republican leader Shawn Steel challenged a fiercely partisan crowd of about 200 to put aside the "nice guy" persona and begin playing hardball with the Democrats.
Steel shared the Essex House stage Thursday night with key GOP grassroots volunteers who were honored at the Antelope Valley Republican of the Year banquet.
Steel's fiery message was coupled with the warmth of the awards ceremony. Nine winners approached the podium to accept custom-made, uniquely shaped trophies after hearing, "And the elephant goes to..."
The first-time event brought together five local GOP organizations: the Antelope Valley Republican Assembly, the Antelope Valley Congress of Republicans, the 36th Assembly District Republican Central Committee, Palmdale Women's Federated and the Republican National Hispanic Assembly.
Organizers hope to stage the event annually to thank the volunteers "who are the heroes of all those we elect," as master of ceremonies Frank Visco put it.
The coveted Republican of the Year trophy went to June Spencer, first-year president of the Republican Assembly.
"I got my reward Jan. 20 when George W. Bush was (inaugurated)," she said. "This is a bonus."
Spencer's friend Mary Miller received a standing ovation when her name was announced for the Party Enthusiast - Master category.
Miller encouraged the parents in the room to tell their children "why you're a Republican - there really is a difference."
"They can join us for precinct work," said Miller, who has mentored numerous hard-core volunteers over the decades. "They'll get hooked just like I did 50 years ago."
The other winners were Joe Donahue (Party Enthusiast - Pre-eminent), Melea Bork (Party Enthusiast - Prodigy), Pat Sileo (Lifetime Achievement), Dixie Eliopulos (Role Model), Linda Isaac (Voter Registration), John Evans (Precinct Walker) and Linda Gray (Phone Banker).
While holding her elephant trophy, Spencer directed a few words of wisdom to event organizer Dean Henderson: "You made one grave error - you needed a hundred more of these."
The event drew Republicans from across the party spectrum, along with various elected officials. State Sen. William J. "Pete" Knight and Assemblyman George Runner shared the head table with Visco, Steel, Henderson and the five clubs' leaders, while Assemblyman Phil Wyman and other local leaders were scattered in the audience.
It was Runner who encouraged party chairman Steel to deliver the keynote speech, a realistic pep talk from the conservative leader who won the chair position in February.
"Part of our problem is we're very lousy in recognizing the political war we're in," Steel said. "Look at us - we're nice, we're civil, we go to the Rotary Club, we have nice debates. Democrats are completely different ... They're like a volcano; they're always ready to go. They're revolutionaries.
"We're playing by the old rules but the left plays for keeps."
Steel then chided Republicans for not linking failures in inner-city schools with the Democrats, who he says have controlled the education system through powerful teachers' unions for decades.
"We have rotten schools that are getting worse, (but) we don't tackle that because our people have gotten out of the inner city for the suburbs," he said.
He called for continuing the bounty system, by which those who register voters are paid for their successes. He said Republicans will make a big push at new citizenship ceremonies with bilingual and multilingual workers present and ready to register voters.
The time is golden for a Republican comeback in California, where nearly every constitutionally elected officer and the large majority of legislators are Democrats, Steel said.
"That's not normal - California is not that left-wing," he said. "Our job is to change that reality in 2002, and Gov. Gray Davis is doing a fantastic job of helping us with that."
The power crisis is turning Democrats against Davis, Steel said.
"Gov. Davis is sinking like a rock," he claimed. "I think the
Democratic rats are starting to get off the Titanic."