Bob Nelson: GOP FOB - Grand Old Party - Movers and Shakers

He is one of the many political strategists and public affairs consultants who supported Democrat Bill Clinton for President in 1992. But oddly enough, by supporting Clinton, he stood alone. That's because Bob Nelson is a life-long Republican.

It is true Nelson wasn't the first Republican to support Bill Clinton, but when this GOP activist from Orange County, Ca., founded the "Republicans for Clinton" nationwide, it was a major embarrassment for the Bush campaign.

Nelson knew when he made the switch, he was gambling with his business. But if he didn't make the switch, he felt he was gambling with the country. As a man whose heroes were Republicans Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Dwight Eisenhower, Nelson believed a president must have strong convictions. He was positive Clinton had more capacity to lead the country than fellow Republican George Bush. "I was disgusted by the Bush presidency. He was completely out of touch with America," he said. And so Nelson acted on his convictions.

His deepest political beliefs were formed when he was 16 years-old. Forced to drop out of school and find work because a disabling disease financially ruined his parents, he came to believe in the need for health care reform. "A country that can afford to send rocket launchers to Kuwait and missiles to Mars should be able to take care of the basic health care needs of an eight-year-old child," he insists.

Moreover, Clinton's positions on civil rights and a national service program "are what Republicans and Democrats really want," says Nelson.

As a result of his decision, he paid for his gamble. Though most of his more conservative clients respected his convictions, and retained their accounts, he admitted that he lost one PR contract worth $100,000 from a Republican client. Despite the loss, Nelson's firm grew 26 percent in 1992 according to O'Dwyer's PR Services Report.

Currently contracted as an advisor to the White House on personnel matters and constituency issues, Nelson is modest about his position as an inner circle Friend of Bill. But he does concede that one of his Republican friends, Roger Johnson, landed a job as the administrator of the General Services Administration.

As the president of the Nelson Communications Group, his job is to lead an all-purpose media and public relations organization. In the political world, he is a specialist in media and message strategy for issue, and grass-roots lobbying campaign. In the corporate world, he is a public affairs expert. Overall, he helps groups and companies develop and convey a message to convince the electorate, or consumer, to support a position or product. Based in California, Nelson's firm has five offices -- three in California, one in Arizona, and one in Washington D.C.

O'Dwyer's said Nelson's company earned nearly $4 million in fees in 1992 and rated as the 22nd most successful firm for that year. Predictably, he insists on crediting his staff of 38 employees, "My greatest accomplishment is building a staff of really talented, dedicated people who love to work together and love to win."

Regardless of what stalwart Republicans think of him, Nelson continues to land the big contracts. This year he said he will handle a major campaign to convince California voters that a taxpayer-funded school voucher plan will destroy the public school system. It appears that with this defection from another Republican stand (support for the voucher system), Nelson will probably stand alone in his beliefs, and maybe in his success -- again.

COPYRIGHT 1993 Campaigns & Elections, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group