Steve Wiegand: Brownies thinking upset in 4th Congressional District

The legendary – and often unemployed – political prankster Dick Tuck once ran for an L.A. congressional seat with a puckish but pragmatic campaign slogan:

"The job needs Tuck, and Tuck needs the job."

This came to mind Tuesday as I meandered among election evening "celebration" parties thrown by the top three candidates for the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. John Doolittle.

One of the candidates, former GOP congressman and wealthy businessman Doug Ose, didn't need the job.

This is a good thing for the Ose clan since he was rather thoroughly trounced in the Republican primary by state Sen. Tom McClintock, despite pouring in close to $3 million of his own money.

McClintock is what we in the politics business refer to as a career politician. He is not a wealthy man, and as a termed-out legislator is going to need a job.

Then there is Charlie Brown, the Democratic nominee. Brown is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who has a teaching credential and works for the Roseville Police Department. The $169,300 annual congressman's pay likely would come in handy at the Brown household.

This isn't to suggest any of the three sought the office strictly for the dough. Just pointing out that the two guys facing off in November are seeking employment that is financially meaningful to them.

Which brings us to who might get the job. Ordinarily, this would be no question about a district where Reeps have a 47 percent to 31 percent registration edge over Dems.

But the Brownies who were quaffing beer and munching pizza at an Old Roseville restaurant Tuesday night were exuding what Mark Twain described as "the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces."

And the defiantly glum Oseites, who were tipping brewskies and chewing pizza at a Loomis eatery, were predicting dire possibilities for the GOP in the 4th CD.

At the Brown party, I talked to Gary and Margaret Specht, a retired couple who moved to Roseville from the Bay Area about 15 years ago.

The Spechts suspect that, for one thing, McClintock may have a geography problem.

Despite the fact that the 4th CD encompasses an area of Northern California larger than Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut and Hawaii combined, McClintock doesn't live in the district.

Although the carpetbagger charge didn't resonate in the GOP primary, Gary Specht thinks that was because Ose also didn't live in the district, although he had been a congressman from an adjoining district.

"Charlie (Brown) can make that charge legitimately," Specht said. "Ose couldn't."

At the Ose party, a local elected official who didn't want to speak ill in public of a fellow Republican, spoke ill in private of McClintock.

The official, who said he won't endorse McClintock, pointed out that McClintock already has declared his mission is to guide the country back to conservative principles, not secure federal goodies for the district.

"That's not going to fly after Doolittle's record," the official said.

His reference was to Doolittle's pulling in close to $1.5 billion in federal spending for the district during his nine terms.

Even with the residency issue and McClintock's aversion to bringing home the bacon, however, Brown has a very steep climb. In the past four decades, only five Democrats have won California congressional seats in districts where Republicans led in voter registration.

But November could bring some very weird election results, like 1980's "Reagan Revolution," only in ideological reverse.

Would I bet my paycheck, straight up, on a Brown upset? Nope. But spot me five points, and I'll consider putting up my editor's pension.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Steve Wiegand, (916) 321-1076. Back columns, www.sacbee.com/wiegand.