The Race to Replace Case

[Keanu]

Re: What's up with Djou?

i see brian schatz being more of an opportunist...i don't believe he thinks he can actually win...i figure he's just getting his name out there for when the time comes that he'll have a serious shot at winning...what do they call guys like that? "a comer with sharp elbows"? i think both djou and schatz have long careers ahead of them...

I disagree. If Schatz didn't think he could win, he wouldn't have run for Congress. Unlike others in this race, who lose nothing in their bid, Schatz had to give up his State House Seat. He has worked very hard since he decided to run for Case's vacated Congressional seat, and has as good a chance as anybody else to win this thing.

I grew up in Kahalu'u. Most of my family lives in the 2nd Congressional district.... Schatz is exactly the kind of person I would want representing me.

[pzarquon]

Re: The Race to Replace Case

I enjoyed the Honolulu Weekly's take on the Democratic candidate forum, featuring short send-ups of each of the main candidates (and noting Mazie's absence). The dig at Nestor was kind of mean, but I gotta admit, it made me laugh out loud. The only point I on which disagreed with the pseudonymous commentator was his dismissing of Zuiker. He may very well have a snowball's chance in hell, but at that forum, he stood out. Quite a character, and one good to have around in an otherwise sometimes bland race.

By the by, I mentioned earlier the kick my wife got out of Schatz's anti-Bush TV ad. It was entertaining to see how, within two week or so, several of his opponents toss out Iraq-centric ads as well (when it wasn't really much a part of their platform previously).

There've also been a lot of "wife ads," too, which always kind of struck me as weird... particularly when the spouses say, "We ask for your vote." Hey, lady, you're nice and all, but I'm not voting for you, am I?

Nice to see Ian Lind has also picked up on the surprising effectiveness of Hee's television ads. Even someone who doesn't like the guy has got to admit, of the spots drowning the airwaves, his stand out.

[TuNnL]

Re: The Race to Replace Case

Zuiker has made an impressive showing at more than just the HPR venue. He was an audience hit at the KGMB9 debate (at Hawai‘i Theatre) as well. I don’t think he’ll win the race, but he’ll pull in respectable numbers, no doubt.

[jdub]

Re: What's up with Djou?

I disagree. If Schatz didn't think he could win, he wouldn't have run for Congress. Unlike others in this race, who lose nothing in their bid, Schatz had to give up his State House Seat. He has worked very hard since he decided to run for Case's vacated Congressional seat, and has as good a chance as anybody else to win this thing.

I grew up in Kahalu'u. Most of my family lives in the 2nd Congressional district.... Schatz is exactly the kind of person I would want representing me.

a valid point, certainly...i'm just saying that up against folks with name recognition like hirono, hee and the other horses in the race, schatz himself will have to be surprised if he wins...i'm not saying i don't want him to win (a moot point, as i'm not in his district), just that even he has to know that it's unlikely...wait, he was the state rep for manoa-makiki, no? why is he running for a district he doesn't live in? am i just confused? or is that the case?

[Keanu]

Re: What's up with Djou?

a valid point, certainly...i'm just saying that up against folks with name recognition like hirono, hee and the other horses in the race

Name recognition, especially as it pertains to Hirono and Hee, is not always a good thing.

schatz himself will have to be surprised if he wins...i'm not saying i don't want him to win (a moot point, as i'm not in his district), just that even he has to know that it's unlikely...wait, he was the state rep for manoa-makiki, no? why is he running for a district he doesn't live in? am i just confused? or is that the case?

Perhaps you could ask the same question to all the other Candidates running who don't live in the 2nd Congressional District? I think it would be only a 5 horse race (Aipolani, Hanabusa, Hee, Hogue, and Hooser), If district residency was a requirement. I can't answer your question because I'm not Brian Schatz. I do know that he has talked with many people who live in the district. I think he has a solid understanding of issues pertinent to the district, and I like the fact that he has been endorsed by the Sierra club.

Schatz has been an opponent of President Bush's reckless war policy from the beginning. It seems (With their new Television Ads) that now both Hirono and Hee have jumped on Brian's anti -war bandwagon.

[TuNnL]

Re: What's up with Djou?

I’m glad you like Schatz, Keanu. I do too. But you’re grasping at straws now. There’s no way for you to know who jumped on whose bandwagon first, as Iraq is a national issue, not a local one. There’s no way for you to know that Hee or Hirono opposed the war even before Schatz did. Let’s not get overzealous here.

[damontucker]

Re: What's up with Djou?

TuNnL - I will be so glad when Election season is over and you return to your normal madness

And for that matter... EVERYONE on HT that is so emotionally and tied to candidates... I can't wait till we can all just get along again and get over it till the next election year!

[Keanu]

Re: What's up with Djou?

I’m glad you like Schatz, Keanu. I do too. But you’re grasping at straws now. There’s no way for you to know who jumped on whose bandwagon first, as Iraq is a national issue, not a local one. There’s no way for you to know that Hee or Hirono opposed the war even before Schatz did. Let’s not get overzealous here.

They may have opposed the war but they didn't make it known the way Schatz did. Schatz made the war in Iraq an important issue from Day 1 of his Campaign. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't recall the others talking about Iraq early on, just recently.I don't mean to rag on Clayton Hee, he's Hawaiian and he's a sharp guy. Mazie otoh, doesn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the democratic kitchen. She has name recognition but not enough Mojo for this important position.

[waioli kai]

Election reform? multiple votes scenario

They may have opposed the war but they didn't make it known the way Schatz did. Schatz made the war in Iraq an important issue from Day 1 of his Campaign. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't recall the others talking about Iraq early on, just recently.I don't mean to rag on Clayton Hee, he's Hawaiian and he's a sharp guy. Mazie otoh, doesn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the democratic kitchen. She has name recognition but not enough Mojo for this important position.

Being a candidate for something, sometimes for more than one position in a season most every bienniel election for most of thirty years still does not help answer an inquiry as to why all, or at least some of these candidates and their interests in certain elections cannot get together wherein one candidate concedes (delivering votes) to another candidate before the election in exchange for position in the ever more-electable candidate's staffings, should he or she win election.

For instance. Having zero personal exchange with any of the candidates for the Minks' U.S. House seat, aka Ed E. Case's would-be step to the U.S. Senate, I attend only cerebral and visceral afflictions regarding this 2nd District race. Nothing personal is in my judgement of a 2nd District candidate's public character and the issues he or she espouses together with an assessment of a candidate's political history.

I would like to vote for Hee 1st and Matsunaga 2nd, and Schatz would be the third in such a multiple votes scenario. However, ideally, it would be in a race such as this to treat to the many candidates as nonpartisans (Dims, Repugs, Socialist, Communist, whoever) who emerge from a primary with the top three vote getters going into the general election. Election reform? Not in anyone's position papers in this pseudo-democracy, that's for sure!

[pzarquon]

Re: The Race to Replace Case

While I'm trending away from Schatz now (I voted for him in our poll here earlier), I agree with Keanu -- I think the other candidates followed his lead on pounding on the Iraq issue. The suddenness with which it turned up in their campaign material after Schatz's early and strongly-worded television ad gives me the sense that he recoognized the strength of that angle first... even though surveys and articles proved that months ago.

As for Hee, does anyone know what happened to his Kucinich "endorsement"? He apparently told the Advertiser that a phone call from Kucinich could be interpreted as support for his campaign, but even the paper described it thusly: "U.S. Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, D-Ohio, is said to be throwing his support behind state Sen. Clayton Hee in the Hawai'i 2nd Congressional District race." It sounds like maybe Kuchinich may not be as committed to a stance in the Hawaii primary than Hee would like.

Hee was supposed to have had a press conference today to formally announce it. Did it happen?

[scrivener]

Re: Ed Case's congressional seat

Voting for someone only because of his ethnicity is just plain stupid.

I disagree. All things being (at least close to) equal, I don't think ethnicity is a bad reason to vote for someone. I very nearly voted for Cayetano in his first run at the Governorship because I felt very sincerely that the Filipino community needed the morale boost a Filipino governor could give it.

That's not so outrageous if you can accept what I believe is the real ill in society: Not drugs, guns, or prostitution, but poverty. As we discussed at HawaiiStories all those years ago, Filipinos are still living in Kalihi and Waipahu (check the stats in that first linked post). I thought a Filipino governor might be good for that community, and what's good for that community might be good for us all.

[glossyp]

Re: The Race to Replace Case

A general question to those more seasoned in Hawaii politics than I: is it a given that Case's replacement will be a democrat?

[Jonah K]

Re: The Race to Replace Case

A general question to those more seasoned in Hawaii politics than I: is it a given that Case's replacement will be a democrat?

No, it's not a given that Case's replacement will be a Democrat.

[TuNnL]

Re: Election reform? multiple votes scenario

I would like to vote for Hee 1st and Matsunaga 2nd, and Schatz would be the third in such a multiple votes scenario.

I love this scenario!!! Those would be my choices too.

As for Hee, does anyone know what happened to his Kucinich "endorsement"? ... Hee was supposed to have had a press conference today to formally announce it. Did it happen?

I saw Hee make the statement on KGMB9. There weren’t a bunch of mic’s in his face, so I’m assuming there was no formal press conference.