Step up
September 28th, 2009 by Derrick DePledgeState Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nänäkuli, Mäkaha), is expected to announce on Thursday that she is running in the Democratic primary in the 1st Congressional District against former congressman Ed Case.
Hanabusa originally planned her announcement for late August, with guests that included a certain senior senator, but the death of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., caused her to postpone.
Honolulu City Councilman Charles Djou is the Republican candidate.
One of Hanabusa's advisers sent out this e-mail today:
Aloha,
As a friend and supporter of Senator Colleen Hanabusa, I wanted to thank you for standing with her during her 11 year tenure in the Hawaii State Senate. The past few years have been some of the most difficult we have faced in Hawaii’s history. We have been challenged, but thanks to the leadership of Senate President Hanabusa, recovery and prosperity is back within our grasp.
I know many of you have encouraged Colleen to step up and do more. This is why I wanted to let you know about a very special announcement she will be making on Thursday, October 1, 2009, and invite you to join her as she talks about Hawaii’s future and her role in it.
Friends and supporters will be gathering at 10:45am, at the open courtyard at Restaurant Row (corner of Punchbowl and Pohukaina) to hear Senator Hanabusa’s announcement.
September 29th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Thank goodness I live in the Second Congressional District. A Colleeen v. Ed Battle is best watched from far, far away.
September 29th, 2009 at 1:03 am
It's not clear to me that Hanabusa can garner enough support to defeat Ed Case, even with the explicit support of Senator Inouye. Danny Akaka defeated Case because Akaka is probably the most beloved figure in Hawaii politics. And he votes the right way most the time. And because Ed Case stubbornly refused to make even the slightest criticism of Bush's handling of the Iraq war at a time Hawaii's people were turning against the war.
Hanabusa is much less lovable than Akaka, is viewed as a politician guided by calculations and ambition rather than by heart and has badly bungled her recent leadership in the Senate.
If all the Democratic political establish consolidates behind her as the "Stop Case" candidate, Hawaii's voters are likely to rebel, just as they voted for Lingle more as a rejection of the Democratic establishment than as an embrace of her. And liberal Democrats, who lined up pretty solidly behind Akaka in 2006, are likely to split in 2010, with the possibility Case might win some over with his record on social and environmental issues.
It may only be wishful thinking, but it would be great if a labor-friendly liberal, in the model of Neil Abercrombie or Tom GIll or Patsy Mink, would throw their hat in the race and rescue us from this dull and uninspiring choice.
I have my fingers crossed as I type this.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:57 am
Kolea, who do you have in mind? Not too many of those types left as far as I can tell. (Pun intended.)
September 29th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Charles,
I've got no specific person in mind. But this is a rare political opportunity. I am hoping someone will see the opportunity and step forward.
It's a sign of the weakness of that wing of the Democratic Party that there is no obvious Great Liberal Hope waiting in the wings.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:07 am
There are a number of qualified individuals who could but unfortunately wouldn't run in the race: Brian Schatz & Della Au Belatti immediately come to mind.
Unfortunately, the best person for the race is Neil Abercrombie, but he's turned his back on his constituents to go after a seat for which he is not currently very qualified in terms of administrative/executive experience although he is a quick learner.
We also need to start developing more qualified young adults to run for office by working with the folks from Kanu Hawai`i and other organizations.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Don't believe Case has a chance to win, he is a back-stabber and a repub clothed as a demo. People will remember his style, only for Case and no one else. Unfortunately, there are no better candidates who are willing to run. Hanabusa is the lesser of two evils; and Djou is a joke.
September 29th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Hanabusa might not be 'loveable' - throw in endearing, nice, sweet, cuddly.
And I strongly disagree with the poop she pulled on HB444.
Still, shes the best, brightest, bad-ass politician we have around. And I, for one, am glad she's wanting to be OUR bad-ass. I would love to see her do donuts around those big boys and girls on the Hill.
September 29th, 2009 at 10:36 am
Hipoli,
Much as I hate the imagery, let's sift through that "poop she pulled on HB444" to examine the commonplace perception she is "the best, brightest...." Regardless of my passionate commitment to equal rights, I still think I can be detached enough to think she bungled the whole matter horribly. First, she aligned herself with the CU advocates, promising she would work to push the bill through the Senate. She then abandoned them, but lacked the cojones to tell them this straight up, which only led to a sttrong sense of betrayal. She abandoned Hooser after agreeing to support his push and tried to blame him for the bill's failure. She forced her allies, Tsutsui, Tokuda, Taniguchi and Kokubon to betray their own commitments with weaselly excuses. She left the House members exposed for having the courage to pass out the bill. And she now forces all of us to go through this disastrous mess again in 2010, which will undoubtedly lead to the defeat of some decent legislators in the fall.
Mufi benefits, Aiona benefits, Gabbard, Okino and Sakamoto benefit. After 12 years of living in fear of the Religious Right, the Democrats finally found the courage of their convictions to pass civil unions and Hanabusa sabotaged the effort. If the right's push next session and in the 2010 elections is successful, the legislators will have learned to keep their heads down and give into their fear.
I'm sorry, that strikes me as proof either of gross incompetence or shortsighted, self-interest. Or both.
I also think it actually weakened her in her challenge to Case. I do not exaggerate the strength of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. But Akaka undoubtedly benefited from the strong support of them in the tight race with Case. Hanabusa will not have the same level of liberal support as a result of her unsavory machinations. Nor will she have the advantage of her previous reputation as "extremely bright" and "politically astute."
Despite my occasional ravings, I am smart enough to recognize the fundamental lay of the land in this race. Looking at the networks within the Democratic Party, I can appreciate that the establishment (or "institutional") Democrats are lining up behind Colleen as the best candidate to defeat Ed Case. I am on friendly enough terms with these folks to understand the logic of the situation. Organized Labor is not, in general, very fond of Colleen Hanabusa. But they are strongly opposed to Ed Case and are unwilling to support a "labor-friendly liberal" if such a candidate is likely to split the anti-Case vote. I respect that, but my gut cannot accept it for my own conduct.
The logic of the Case v Hanabusa contest works against efforts to strengthen a broader progressive movement within the Democratic Party as previously allied constituencies split from each other or themselves fracture due to the contradictions. Labor will go solidly with Hanabusa, environmentalists will tend to go with Case, women's groups are likely to be split between the two, "progressives" got no place to go, unless sharp differences emerge over foreign policy and healthcare, reinforcing the image of Case as a hawkish, neo-con defender of corporate privilege.
As I said, "interesting times."
September 29th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Wow, Hipoli, have you gone soft?
Some of your posts here and elsewhere during the 2009 session, especially those related to HB 444, made it seem that, if you saw Hanabusa injured and dying on the side of the road, you would not only not stop to help but would rather run her over than expend the effort necessary to drive around her expiring body.
And what makes you think she'll do donuts around the big boys and girls on Capitol Hill? She's smart but her failures as Senate president show she's too smart by half, even if her ego won't let her admit that. She might be able to rise to the task but she won't be a bad-ass on the Hill anytime soon. Actually, that might just be the reality check she needs to rise to her true potential.
Does time heal all wounds for you or is that she is the lesser of three evils, Case and Djou being the other two?
September 29th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Hanabusa betrayed a lot of people on HB444. What she did was wrong to do the gay community - and to her senatorial colleagues? No way to dismiss that. What the gay community failed to do with HB444, and I so hope they get it together this interim, is to ORGANIZE in HUGE ways. Hanabusa fell weak, I think, to the hands of the very well organized BibleZombies. I dont excuse her on this. Or the Gabbard play. Yes, Ohia, I was very mad and disappointed.
But I also know - and you all know - that gay marriages, in some form or another, are coming. Maybe this year, maybe not. Maybe 5 years, maybe later. But they are coming, Bible Zombies be Damned. I believe America has changed a lot since the mid 1990s and we're just going to keep going. American media has made sure that we are all increasingly exposed and therefore desensitized to the gay and lesbian community. Smart. Now they are humans. Not freaky abominations. Now more and more of us actually care. I think we here in Hawaii, church or not, all know too many gays and lesbians in our own backyards to not want them to have the enjoy and partake in their own rights to love, commitment, marriage, and legal recognition that straights enjoy.
You all know that I care deeply about this issue. But I also think, other than this issue, that Hanabusa has been a good leader. Other than HB444 - and yes thats a biggie - I think shes brought stability to the Senate. She brought intelligence to the Senate Presidency in ways that were sorely lacking in the past. Cant you all remember the chaos before her? People forget how ridiculous it was. By providing that critical leadership, shes supported, allowed, and helped other Senators to emerge as strong and now more stable leaders too. Can you remember how we all were taking bets over how Hanabusa/Kim/Baker leadership was not going to work out and the cat fights was going to make the Senate a total drama nightmare? Well, I havent seen a single claw, have you? And Kim and Baker, for the most part, are better Legislators today than we ever imagined they could be. I give that credit to leadership and management. Over the years, Ive seen a course that she's been navigating pretty darn well over there from the 4th floor. She understands how government actually works in ways that too few politicians in our State do. She understands management. She's thoughtful and, almost be instinct, knows what it takes to actually get things done. She can play with the big boys and she knows exactly when and how she can kick the big boys asses in ways they just dont know what to do with themselves. Why? Because shes just smarter than all of them. She expects performance, listens and works through challenges, but holds people accountable.
I realize Im overlooking her flaws. They are there, for sure. For me, Hanabusa's strengths as a lawmaker and a leader simply outweigh her weaknesses. I guess, too, Im hoping she's smart enough to learn from her mistakes -- and just does the right thing.
Hanabusa is going to be a good Congresswoman. Eventually, shes going to be one of our Senators too. I believe that, in time, she will grow to be our next Senator Inouye. Im thinking he sees it too?
September 29th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Wow, again.
Either you have one amazing crystal ball or have drunk some serious Kool-Aid.
Can I get some, too?