Kaaawa is firmly in the 2nd Congressional District, so I can only vicariously feel the pain of progressive Democrats trying to decide how to cast their special election ballots.
My feeling is that Colleen Hanabusa has the best record and the best chance for success in Congress, but…and a big but…I’ve also been watching for months, expecting to see some evidence that her campaign has increased its traction among voters. She’s doing fine among Dem leaders, but for whatever reasons, her campaign has just lacked any spark, and her poll results have sagged when they needed to surge.
The Case campaign sent out an email blast yesterday citing the most recent poll results.
Hanabusa’s camp responded by again describing her as the best candidate. I agree that she is. But despite the positive tone from Hanabusa’s campaign (the votes cast are the only poll that counts, etc), I haven’t seen any evidence that the recent polls are masking a dramatic turnaround in voter opinion.
So despite the fact that I haven’t been an Ed Case booster, if I lived in the district he would be getting my vote. I wouldn’t have said that earlier in this campaign. But I’m not one of those Democrats who would rather see the Republican candidate win than a Democratic candidate they don’t like (and don’t control). And I don’t think it would make a lot of political sense, under the circumstances, to save my vote for my preferred candidate while knowing that she won’t win.
If you’re a Democrat in the 1st District, what’s your position at this point?
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The republican guy still sounds like a young boy scout. A well rehearsed one at that. What any Democratic voter must realize is that the republicans want to gain power and then dismantle government.
If not Hanabusa, then Case, but certainly not the republican guy.
I don’t live in the 1st district either, but if I did I would have no trouble deciding–Ed Case would get my vote. The senior senator’s blatant effort to influence the election out of personal pique is too much “old boy” politicking to stomach.
What s surprise. Ian doesn’t support the repubulican. Singing only the party line…no matter what is said or not said will kill this country. Thank God for moderates and independents who actually think with their brain and not their emotions.
Sorry, Right in the Middle. If you’ve been around for a while, you would know that I’ve never been a “party line” kind of guy. As far as Djou, I’ve look at his record over time. It is very unimpressive, from my point of view. He has essentially had one position. No taxes. And where does that come from? Singing the other party’s line, the thing you imply you’re against.
And as far as parties go–we do, after all, live in a two-party political system. No shame in siding with one or the other most of the time.
I agree with Ian here. I hope people think about assisting the President with a good vote for his issues and proposals, that absolutely will not happen with the republican guy.
If you’re a Democrat in the 1st District, what’s your position at this point?
Very torn.
Not thoroughly excited about Hanabusa, but like her the most and don’t like Djou. But then you capture the pragmatic dilemma as to why there’s no yard sign for Case or Hanabusa at our home.
I’m afraid the poll just announced may sink Hanabusa as progressive voters react just as you are describing.
At the same time, I haven’t seen any media or campaign talks about race and ethnicity, but Case puts another white man in Congress; Hanabusa adds a woman of color to the still remaining pale male dominant vibe in the nation’s Capitol (albeit with some progress on that in recent years). I also like that about her candidacy.
I live in the 1st district and I voted for Hanabusa a couple of days ago. I felt she represented my values better… I wasn’t thinking who had the better chance of winning. I hate this splitting of the vote. It’s stupid.
I’m angry and very close to sitting out this election.
I can’t stand Djou who is both arrogant & ignorant. As an early adherent to the “Philosophy of ‘NO’,” all he’s done for years at Honolulu Hale is to oppose things but never provide solutions. Of course, just like a dead clock, even Djou’s “NOs” have been correct once in a while — as with his opposition to the mayor’s rail transit plans.
Case is only marginally better than Djou. I haven’t forgotten his less-than-stellar record in the State Legislature, and while he was in Congress I was revolted by his war-mongering & faux fiscal conservatism.
So, I agree with you that Hanabusa is the best choice of the three front runners but (non)elections have consequences. Put another way, it would matter if Djou gets into the seat, even for 6 months. We all saw the fallacy of Ralph Nader’s claims in 2000 that there’s no difference between a Democrat and a Republican. I’ll probably do as you suggest and put in a reluctant & resentful vote for Case.
The Democratic Party of Hawaii had better get on the stick for the September primary. I want a viable candidate for the 1st district who is better than the two they have as front runners this time.
wlsc,
I agree with almost everything you have written her. But as a very active Democrat, I am unsure what you want the DPH to do in order to “get on the stick for the September primary.”
In my opinion, and apparently in Ed’s opinion as well, a majority of party members support Ed over him. The Party is obliged to remain neutral in primary battles between Democrats and actually does a pretty good job of doing so as an organization, even if individual Democrats exercise their personal freedom to actively support one candidate over another.
Please explain what the Party should do to prevent a bitter primary battle in the Fall while not bringing onto ourselves accusations we are an “old Boys Network” trying to “tell people how to vote.”
Look at how Inouye is being blasted for doing what he can to support HIS favored candidate. If people want the Party leaders to decide which Democrat will get the official nod, there are those in the Party eager for that to happen. But they are being kept in check by our policy of pre-primary neutrality.
I look forward to your ideas, as I share your concerns, but do not see a good solution.
@ kolea – Thank you for your very thoughtful comments.
I appreciate the neutral approach to primary battles & wouldn’t want that to change. Where I think the Democratic Party could do better by the primary voters is to try to provide a level playing field for all of its declared candidates, the candidates’ money not withstanding. For example, why didn’t the party host a debate or two that featured only the Democratic candidates – all of them, not just the front runners? I wonder, for example, how Case or Hanabusa would do debating Mr. del Castillo or Mr. Lee. My guess is that some clear differences, both positive & negative, would be obvious to us voters after one debate.
I responded to two telephone polls a couple of weeks ago. One was from the DCCC who hung up on me after I told them I preferred Hanabusa. Not sure what that was all about…
Also, I’m not clear on what you were saying here: “In my opinion, and apparently in Ed’s opinion as well, a majority of party members support Ed over him. “
I could pretend I was being clever and cryptic. But it was just another case of my sloppy typing/writing. I meant to write:
“In my opinion, and apparently in Ed’s opinion as well, a majority of party members support Colleen over him.“
Ed has openly acknowledged he is not popular with “card-carrying” party members. Even among the broader group of “Democratic primary voters,” Ed always appeals for GOP members to crossover and vote for him. In the Akaka-Case race, Lingle explicitly urged GOP voters to NOT crossover, hoping to damage Case’s prospects, as she sees him as a longterm rival with whom she shares an overlapping pool of supporters. She also preferred Akaka to win in order to keep the seat available for her when she wants to run for it.
As for the Party sponsoring a forum for ALL the Democratic candidates, there are at least two factors arguing against that. If the central dilemma posed by this special election to the Party’s interest in electing a Democrat, providing more exposure for the “minor” candidates would only increase the odds of splitting the Democratic vote to the advantage of the Djou campaign.
The second reason is that it is unwieldy, though the Progressive Democrats of Hawaii managed to use the political “speed dating” format to handle ten candidates in 2006 and six LG candidates just about a month ago.
Yes, it would be a “fair” and “noble” thing to do, but since you expressed the wish the Party would figure some means to escape the dilemma of splitting the Democratic vote, I suspect you understand why bringing more attention to the minor candidates would work against that purpose?
In some states, the candidates to appear on the ballot under a party’s banner are chosen by delegates to a county or state convention. Some states allow any party member to file, but the appropriate party organization holds a vote to chose who to endorse. I know California does this. It requires a super-majority (I believe 60%). It does not dictate which candidate gets to run, but it allows the Party members to send a strong signal as to their preferences.
For all the whining about how the “Democratic Machine” in Hawaii tries to “control everything,” we are actually much looser and more open to public participation in picking our candidates than in many, perhaps most, other states. We are one of the few states with an open primary. Not completely open, as voters can only vote one party ballot. But the voter’s choice is secret and members of another party, including voters hostile to the platform of the Democratic Party, can and do take a Democratic ballot and help decide which of our candidates shall serve as our contestant in the general election.
There may be a revived move within the Party for a closed primary, consistent with a US Supreme Court ruling a few years ago. The same press which is mocking the Democrats for splitting the votes in this election will undoubtedly rail against any move to increase the authority of party members (not “party leaders,” but party MEMBERS) to chose our candidates.
Short of that, the California-style convention endorsement procedure might provide a halfway measure in helping “pick” the strongest Democratic candidate to go up against a single Republican in the general.
I live in the district and my husband, daughter, and I voted for Ed Case. Our ballots have been mailed.
Take a look at this:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-now/2010/05/how_the_right_is_winning_hawai.html
I really think Hawaii’s Democratic Party needs to do better about its strategies if it doesn’t want to implode. I like Ed after last night’s debate. I remember when he came to Oceanic Institute for a tour and to learn more about aquaculture. As an Island Dem, he’s a bit refreshing, a departure from the status quo. The senior senators are in their late 80s. This is a democracy, not an autocracy. These seats shouldn’t be bestowed, they should be elected.
as AN Island dem…
I’ll go have my tea now.
What does JonTheBru have against Boy Scouts?
all of my relatives in Kalihi voted for Hanabusa. I watched part of the debate online and D’jou reminds me of one of those nerdy kids in high school that go to college and discover recreational drugs and gay sex and get disowned by his parents — while D’jou didn’t discover those things apparently. I think Hanabusa was by far the best orator. Case came in second in that department but he was either too confident or arrogant(?), so it didn’t execute as well as Hanabusa. Djou sounded like an automaton lacking any feeling or emotional tone. The only time he did have a real feeling answer was when he was being catty and defensive and that never looks good on camera even on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Hanabusa dinged D’jou for using the wrong year in an attack on her (he was 2 years off)… then D’jou tried doing that against Case and it didn’t come off right at all. It looked prissy and catty. Hanabusa was the best deliverer of attacks while Case just a little.
Djou is supported by Karl Rove — let that be a warning to those that would vote for him.
Anyone that Dan Inouye endorses would automatically lose my vote. He is the great, monotonous, egotistical lump in the belly of the local Democratic Party. For him to whine about Case not deferring to him and Akaka ignores his own broken promise to Patsy Mink in 1959 that he wouldn’t run for the U.S. House.
I mailed my ballot yesterday. Voted for Hanabusa. As wlsc said above, “while [Case] was in Congress I was revolted by his war-mongering & faux fiscal conservatism.” Direct interaction with him has reinforced the initial impression that he is arrogant and only interested in what is right for his political career rather than wanting to do what is best for Hawaii.
While I abhor the thought of Djou squeaking his way into congress, I also really despise the notion that votes are being changed due to the results of a poll. Do we really believe that any of these polls accurately represent the relatively small number of people that will mail in their ballots? I got called by a few pollsters. One in particular asked a lot of questions about what it would take to change my vote, in terms of endorsements, etc. My answer was that my vote was decided. Now we have the case where the polls are changing votes. yuck.
another vote for Hanabusa as the lessor of 3 evils. Even if Djou wins now,he won’t in November