California Republican Party chooses new communications director (fmr. Clinton fundraiser)

Patrick Dorinson, a former fundraiser in Bill Clinton's presidential campaign and former member of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration, has been selected as the new communications director of the California Republican Party.

There was no official confirmation from the party, which will hold its statewide convention this weekend in San Jose. Capitol sources said the decision to tap Dorinson, a Republican who served as the chief spokesman of the state's electricity grid during California's energy crisis, was reached several days ago. The party's official announcement was expected as early as Tuesday, but Dorinson confirmed his hiring today.

Dorinson, 54, currently a vice president with the Hill and Knowlton marketing and communications company, replaces Karen Hanretty, who recently left to open her own political strategy and public relations firm in Sacramento.

Dorinson's hiring comes at a turbulent time for state Republicans, who are divided over recent policies and appointments of the Republican governor. Schwarzenegger's decision to hire Susan Kennedy, a Democrat who served as a top figure in former Gov. Gray Davis' administration, and his proposal to borrow tens of billions of dollars to pay for an array of state capital improvements, are among a number of actions that have roiled Republicans.

Apparently, Dorinson's hiring was not vetted by the White House or Gov. Schwarzenegger.

"Yes, 2006 is a pivotal election for California, but I want to look beyond that to build a solid Republican foundation, to build toward a Republican majority in the Legislature," Dorinson told Capitol Weekly.

Dorinson at Capitol Weekly's request also provided a commentary for this week's print edition of Capitol Weekly, in which he described his political odyssey from Democrat to Republican. A version of the commentary was posted online today on Capitol Weekly's web site, www.capitolweekly.net.

A Democrat until 1997, Dorinson bolted the party after a series of personal and philosophical disagreements. "What I observed in Washington was a Congressional Democratic Party that had ossified into an oligarchy of powerful committee chairmen who, after 40 years in power, ran the Congress as their own private domain," he wrote.

"For someone who as a 12 year old in 1964 had a Barry Goldwater bumper sticker on his school binder, it feels like I have come home," Dorinson added.

Here's a summary from various news articles of Mr. Dornison's career. Note, the date ranges could be longer than indicated, spanning earlier or later time periods. The dates were the first and last reference found in articles referring to his various posts. He seemed to be at the heart of California's energy crisis.

Patrick R. C. Dorinson

1975, received a B.S. degree in history and political science from the University of Oregon in 1975
1984 - 1988, worked as a media consultant to the Shorenstein Company and as Public Relations Director for Chronicle Videotex, Inc.
Exact dates unknown. Served in Gore's Senate Campaigns. Also worked as a consultant to Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen and Texas Governor Ann Richards.
1988, California State Director of the Gore for President campaign.
1991 - 1992, Western States Finance Director for the Clinton campaign and for the D.N.C. during the 1992 presidential campaign.
Nov 1991 - Nov 1992, joined the Clinton for President campaign committee as finance director for the western states during the 1992 primaries. He performed the same duties for the Democratic National Committee during the general election.
July 1993, appointed by President Clinton as Associate Administrator for Public Affairs for the General Services Administration (GSA) in Washington, D.C. acting as the GSA's chief spokesman. Described as prior corporate affairs director to the Clinton-Gore Presidential Inaugural Committee who had served as a political consultant and fund-raiser for several presidential, senatorial and gubernatorial campaigns.
March 1994, fired from position at GSA.
Oct 1996 - July 1997, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications for the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C.
Dec 1997 - June 2001, Spokesman/Director of communications for the California Independent System Operator in Sacramento, which controls the state power grid.
Apr 2001 - July 2003, Spokesman for Atlanta based Mirant Corp., a marketer of natural gas and electricity in the US, Caribbean and the Philippines and operator of power plants. Mirant was previously known as Southern Energy, Inc., a subsidiary of Southern Company that was spun-off as a separate publicly traded company in 2001. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2003. Mirant has been the subject of investigation by FERC, the DOJ, CPUC, the California Senate, the California State Auditor, California’s Electricity Oversight Board (the “EOB”), the General Accounting Office of the United States Congress, the San Joaquin District Attorney and the Attorney General’s offices of the States of Washington, Oregon and California and also the target of several lawsuits in California and elsewhere alleging market manipulation, etc. Mirant emerged from bankruptcy in January 2006.
October 2003, "Bus captain" on the Schwarzenegger campaign trail. Matt Labash writes in this article from the Weekly Standard: My bus is initially acceptable. Our "bus captain," Patrick Dorinson, a former flack for a failing energy company, does a flawless Arianna Huffington impression, which he regularly treats us to over the PA system: "Oooo, sir! That's such a good idea. Let's have a hand for ze man vith ze good idea! I'm going to put that idea in my new constitution."
Jan 2004 - Mar 2005, Spokesman for the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency and Sunne Wright McPeak.
Dec 2004 - Jan 2005, Spokesman and contact for the Council on Base Support and Retention (co-chaired by Democrat Leon Panetta and Republican Donna Tuttle).
June 2005, Hired by Hill & Knowlton as senior vice president in its public affairs practice to be based in Sacramento. Described as a veteran political consultant and government affairs specialist.
Feb 2006, Appointed communications director of the California Republican Party.

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