Hawaii's GOP Resurgence
Hawaii is a FrumForum Republican’s kind of state. And not just because of the pristine beaches, the tropical weather and the hula girls. Rather, Hawaii is a state where Republicans understand the benefits of a big-tent philosophy and a diverse party.
Much of this may have to do with the prevailing political climate. After all, Hawaii is a state that has been dominated by Democrats. Out of Hawaii’s 25 state senators, 23 are Democrats; of the state’s 51 House members, 46 are Democrats.
Last week, Republican Governor Linda Lingle urged Republicans to stay away from a purity mentality for the sake of states like hers, where moderate Republicans are the only ones that can win:
I was probably more moderate than most [RNC members]... I wouldn’t have passed the litmus test. But I needed your money! ...We are a family, with a common goal: to make America better.
To be sure, Governor Lingle was Scott Brown before we even knew Scott Brown existed. Despite the partisan disadvantage in her state, Lingle won every one of the 51 House districts on her way to becoming governor, a feat never before accomplished in Hawaii and certainly unheard of from a Republican.
She even sounds like Scott Brown when criticizing Obama on national security: “When you take a position... that you’re going to take an avowed terrorist[s]... and you treat these people in the same way as if they just robbed a convenience store, and use our tax dollars to give them lawyers and try them in civilian courts, you’re telling people that you’re out of touch,” said Governor Lingle. “You don’t try people who tell you that they’re at war against you in civilian courts.”
RNC Chairman Michael Steele, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle and Ohio National Committeeman Bob Bennett chat at the RNC Winter Meeting in Honolulu, January 29, 2010.
Unfortunately, Hawaii doesn’t make the cut when most people think about American politics. Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele gave voice to his irritation with this fact when addressing criticism of the choice of Hawaii as the location for the RNC’s winter meeting:
I actually feel... frustrated with some in and outside the media who have opined on the matter. Last time I checked, Hawaii was a state in the union. I think that it has credentials to host in that regard. Two, many of the problems that people face here in Hawaii are no different from those that people face on the mainland.
FrumForum set out to shed some light on these sunny islands, and find out what Hawaiians actually care about politically.
Of course, unemployment tops the list of concerns in Hawaii. But while the United States suffers in the throes of the “great recession”, Hawaii is marching along stoically with a relatively low unemployment rate of 6.9%.
The biggest threats to the Hawaiian economy right now are overgrown regulations and bloated tax regimens, says Jonah Ka‘auwai, the state Republican chair: “High taxes, high fees are really applying downward pressure on the quality of life in Hawaii, there’s no doubt.”
Further, Hawaii is in the midst of a savage education crisis. Hawaii currently funds its education system to the amount of $13,000 per student, an amount that could probably buy each child a decent private school education if most of it hadn’t been eaten up by bureaucracy and red tape.
Faced with a budget deficit, Governor Lingle slashed funding for schools and let the Hawaii school boards determine the best places to make cuts. Teachers unions have refused to negotiate pay cuts, so the boards were forced to implement school furloughs, whereby schools are closed several times a month in order to cut costs.
Demonstrators gathered outside the RNC Winter Meeting last week to protest against Republican Governor Linda Lingle.
Also of political interest is the moderate state’s struggle to find a resolution on same-sex civil unions. While marriage rights have been ruled out, the state House and Senate were on the verge of passing a bill that would have granted same-sex couples the same rights as married couples until just this week. Under the threat of election year pressure from pro-family groups and the Governor’s veto, the bill was shelved just yesterday.
But state chair Jonah Ka’auwai defended the Governor’s stance on the bill, telling FrumForum that Lingle hadn’t necessarily opposed same-sex civil unions, but rather considered the issue unimportant in the context of the state’s most urgent concerns:
But the Governor [is urging the legislature not to pass a civil unions bill] because it’s most important for the legislature to focus on the issues the matter now, like the economy.
This is a state that, as the President’s birthplace, holds enormous political symbolism for the Republican Party. “This was the place where the President was born, this is the place that represents the bridge between America and Asia-Pacific,” said Governor Linda Lingle to reporters last week.
And Republicans in Hawaii seem to know what they are doing – in May, Republican Charles Djou, the former minority floor leader in the Hawaii state legislature, will face off in a special election in the district where the President grew up. Chairman Steele noted the importance of the state in sending a message to the White House and to Republicans everywhere:
This is a competitive state for us – we’re in Obama’s birthplace. This is his backyard! I wanted to make sure that everyone across the country knew that this party was going to compete on every inch of soil of this nation. Whether it’s Illinois or Hawaii, we’re going to beat you.
