In 1996, Parsky spent time with their son, George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, at the Republican National Convention in San Diego; Parsky was a leader of the city's convention host committee. Two years later, they met again when Bush was raising money in California, and Parsky eventually signed on to lead Bush's California presidential effort.
Bush lost the state by 1.3 million votes, but maintained confidence in Parsky. The president has put Parsky in charge of his selection process for the state's federal judges, U.S. attorneys and marshals. It's a role normally filled by a U.S. senator or governor from the president's political party, but in California all three are Democrats.
Since the 2000 election, Parsky's main political task has been to "professionalize" state Republican Party operations, giving big donors a greater say in how their money is spent. Parsky's reforms have stripped party Chairman Shawn Steel of most of his powers, a move that provoked sharp dissent from Steel, Schroeder and other party insiders. Under the new system, party spending is controlled by a five-member operations committee dominated by Parsky and his ally, state Senate Republican leader Jim Brulte of Rancho Cucamonga.
That party overhaul continues to divide state Republicans. During an operations committee meeting last week, Parsky and Brulte scolded Steel for sending e-mails casting Parsky in an unfavorable light to scores of party activists.
More significant, perhaps, Ron Rogers, Simon's new representative on the committee, joined in taking Steel to task. But Simon strategist Sal Russo said GOP leaders were "all on the same page."
"Our basic attitude is that we want a unified Republican Party," he said. "And I know we have it."
