Tuesday…Lt. Gov. Aiona holds California fundraisers, and a taste of living with eight cats

I notice that Lt. Gov. Aiona held a series of fundraisers on the west coast at the end of June, including June 25 at the Regency Club in Los Angeles, where donations of $1,000 and up were “suggested”, June 26 in Newport Beach, and June 27 lunch at Trader Vic’s in Palo Alto, where the requested contribution was dropped to $500-$2,400.

The Palo Alto lunch is even available on YouTube, where you can judge the attendance as well as Aiona’s pitch.

Two things strike me. First, where’s all the money raised in those California gatherings? Some is reflected in Aiona’s most recent campaign report, but not as much as I would expect. Maybe some of it couldn’t be deposited before the June 30 deadline.

I noticed Ed Hogan, owner of Pleasant Travel Services, donated $6,000. He’s an example of the kind of person who could eventually challenge our law limiting contributions by nonresidents. Hogan lives in California but has important Hawaii ties and interests. If he were contributing at a different point in the election cycle, it’s possible that the campaign would have to return his donation.

And that situation runs right up against an important constitutional right to be able to speak up for and support the candidate of your choice, including providing financial support to their cause. I fully expect a challenge at some point and, as with the Maui challenge to the imputed corporate contribution limit, such a challenge very well could succeed.

EightI took a little video the other evening, just to share a bit of the feeling of meal time with eight cats in the house. It got a little strange, so please forgive the odd camera angles. Just click on the photo and you should be taken to the video. But if you’ve got a slow Internet connection, try this link instead.


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2 thoughts on “Tuesday…Lt. Gov. Aiona holds California fundraisers, and a taste of living with eight cats

  1. stagnant

    cool video.

    the fact that two of your cats are petite and slender makes me think that the fatness is genetic.

    my cat is very slim (pushing 8 pounds) and we let her eat as much cat food as she wants (not much apparently). she seems more like an a harriet or annie type of cat.

    Reply
  2. Ian Lind Post author

    Brian Schatz, chair of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, issued a press release today referring to the Aiona YouTube videos.

    This one surprised us.

    Here’s Duke Aiona in Palo Alto at a fundraiser with national GOP Chair Michael Steele, and when he describes the reasons for his candidacy, he doesn’t mention Hawaii’s economy, or public education, or anything that pertains to Hawaii’s people. Instead, he says that his election would deliver a “knockout blow” to the Democrats, because the President is from Hawaii.

    It is a sad state of affairs when Duke Aiona makes the upcoming race for Governor about Barack Obama rather than what he plans to do for Hawaii. And he went all the way to California to do it.

    What kind of message is that?

    We are in the worst economy in decades, people are losing their jobs and their homes, struggling in every walk of life, and we are seeing the worst cuts in public services in our State’s history. It’s a shame that our Lieutenant Governor thinks the best reason for his election is to damage the other political party and to embarrass the President.

    One last thought. Last year at about this time Governor Linda Lingle campaigned on the mainland for Sarah Palin by knocking Barack Obama, questioning his Hawaii roots. This is a hana hou that didn’t work then and won’t work now.

    Reply

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