Here’s a question for those with more knowledge of Senator Dan Inouye’s career: What do you think will be considered his most important or enduring legislative legacy?
I’m thinking here in terms of legislation. Spark Matsunaga is remembered for his long efforts that resulted in creation of the U.S. Institute of Peace. Patsy Mink’s name is forever associated with Title IX, the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, which guaranteed women equal access to all parts of academic life, including athletics.
What will be remembered as Inouye’s legislative legacy? Your suggestions, please.
I don’t know about his legacy, but here is what I think of when I hear Dan Inouye’s name:
When he was fighting in World War II, one of the enemy threw a grenade that blew his arm off. Inouye pried his own grenade out of his dead, unattached hand, ran up to the German soldier’s hidey hole, and threw it at the surprised and soon-to-be-dead soldier.
Daniel Inouye was bad-ass.
HAVING served on the Appropriations Committee for 40 years, I would argue that Senator Inouye’s legislative legacy is more enduring overall rather than standing out for any single important act of legislation.
For decades Hawaii residents became accustomed to the following press statement:
“Senator Daniel K. Inouye has secured federal funding for _________ “. Fill-in the blank.
Pearl Harbor; Rail; University of Hawaii; etc.
Not to diminish his legislative accomplishments, and there were many, but ultimately Inouye will be remembered (at least in his home state) for his ability to deliver federal dollars to a very needy and dependent state.
Since Nancy started veering off topic, I will seize the opening to digress as well.
My reading of the articles surrounding the letter from Sen. Inouye was that the letter was clearly marked “personal” and delivered directly to Gov. Abercrmobie. Yet, after Abercrombie revealed part of the letter (which I believe to be his perogative), Inouye’s office released the entire thing, revealing Inouye’s wish for Hanabusa to succeed him.
If the Senator wanted the world to know that he formally wanted to request her selection, I believe he would have released the letter to the world, instead of marking a letter “personal.”
Who in the Senator’s office made this decision to release the letter?
It is, IMHO, totally unlike the Senator to put this kind of public pressure on the Governor. Not his style. His style would have been a personal letter.
Are some people in the late Senator’s office looking to curry favor with the hopeful Sen. Hanabusa?
Something’ s going on that is testing the smell exam. On my island, Hanabusa is perceived as uncaring and distant, one wo would not even respond to folks with Big Island zip codes while in the House. Senator Inouye almost never failed to try help any one from here, much like Mink or Matsunaga (even after Sparky was assigned the urban lst District).
As for legacy, each time I visit UH-Hilo, the wonderful astronomy center known as Imiloa, the Pacific Basin Ag Center, the forestry research facililties or travel to West Hawaii over the rebuilt Saddle route, I shall remember the good works of Inouye who persistently did his job of decentralizing while so many others in Honolulu resisted.
Is that a fair assessment of Hanabua’s dealings with CD2? Mink and Matsunaga were both elected to represent the neighbor islands. Hanabusa never was.
Mink and Matsunaga were both born and raised on neighbor islands, and thus had an awareness of and empathy for nieghbor island issues that may elude Hanabusa.
Rail.
Practically everything that makes up the fabric of Hawaii.
and
Friendship.
I happen to think that last one is his greatest legacy. Inouye was an amazing friend. He valued and cherished his friendships. He had his kid-time friends, his war-time friends, his close friends, his best friends, his long-time staff, his political friends…and then he had all of us-the people of Hawaii – who I believe he held each of us in his heart, just the same as his dearest friends. I, for just one person here in Hawaii, valued and appreciated the clear signs of dedicated friendship that man extended to me as a citizen of this State. So many of his actions, throughout his life, show us the meaning of loyalty and to apply both love and wisdom in leadership and friendship.
Maybe its not a singular project you can point to and label as ‘Dan’s legacy project’ but I think this legacy is much more meaningful.
I will miss Senator Inouye very much. He was a good friend to me.
I’ve posted this elsewhere regarding the ‘loss’ of ‘seniority’, but it seems germane:
If your political goals are limited to being able to generously feed at the federal trough of money, then the “seniority” situation in the delegation from Hawaii is certainly dire. If your political goals aren’t that, then it isn’t. Think on all the environmental devastation that can be directly traced to trough-feeding-enabled seniority courtesy of the late senator and perhaps not having federal largesse for a while isn’t such a bad idea. Am I in error in concluding that a substantial portion of environment damage in the Islands is due directly to the federal government? From the top of the the Maunas to the edge of the reefs, and beyond.
As a product of his generation, surely the senator will be remembered for his support of the military (which constrasted with Matsunaga’s support of peace or maybe Inouye’s position was the mantra of “peace through strength”).
That said, what stands out for me is two aspects of Inouye’s approach, one good, one not so good.
The good aspect: the civility and courtesy of how he (and the greater senate back in the day) conducted its business. Bipartisanship was not just a campaign slogan but the norm.
The not so good aspect: the backroom wheeling and dealing was the norm as well and to this day the markups are mere kabuki since it’s all scripted.
To criticize Inouye for this is akin to criticizing Jefferson for being a slave owner since they (and all of us) are captive to our social environment but one would hope that the legislative process (at the federal and state/local levels) should move towards transparency and openness.
Side note: it will be interesting to see who does get the senate appointment. If it’s Hanabusa, it shows, at least in part, the influence of Inouye even after his passing.
If it’s someone else, well, draw your own conclusions.