Case versus Akaka

[anapuni808]

Re: Case versus Akaka

From PZ:

Again, I mentioned those issues simply to point out that I'm therefore edging toward the kind of "moderate" Democrat that Case is reaching out to. And that the things coming out of his campaign are strategically targeting newer-than-old-school Democrats. But yet, I'm not buying it anymore. That I might very well have voted for a different Democratic challenger to Akaka... but I just can't give my vote to him.

Thanks for your response about the Jones Act & gun rights - I was afraid I might have been a little pushy in asking you publicly so I do appreciate your answer.

I also feel that had there been another democratic candidate besides Case & Akaka, I might have an easier time making my mind up.

They both support the Akaka Bill (I'm against)
Akaka wants drilling in ANWR - Case does not.
Akaka is against war in Irag - Case voted in favor.

So far for me, its kind of like that old saying - six of one, half dozen of the other.

Plus, I keep flashing back to Case when he was Hawaiian Issues chair with his proposed bill to combine OHA, DHHL and others into one "corporation". and all the testimony against it, hours & hours of passionate testimony which was very effective since the bill was killed.

I personally like Case - he is a very nice man who I've spoken casually with many times. When he was in the Leg. I worked in the same building as him. It was a lot of fun to get him in the elevator and bring up some hot bed issue. He was always so polite & tried to answer as much as he could in the 15 floors we rode together.

I've not met Akaka but know many who think he is also a great man. But, the day the Akaka Bill was debated in Congress back in June - I was very disappointed in his speech concerning his own bill. There was no passion, no strong determination to get it passed - he came across as a very nice, humble person which I'm certain he is. But he should have been much stronger. I was not impressed. and yes, I watched the live stream on cspan.com while I was at work.

So, I haven't yet made up my mind who to vote for.....and probably won't til I close the curtain in the voting booth. But, right now its looking like "none of the above".

(I won't even go into gun control/rights with you - I like you & want to stay friends )

[pzarquon]

Re: Case versus Akaka

Looks like there's a more credible source than TIME magazine turning up in the "effective legislator rankings" fray between Case and Akaka: Congress.org:

Akaka is ranked 71 out of 100, and Case is ranked 410 out of 435, according to Congress.org... On Sunday, Case started running a television commercial questioning Akaka's accomplishments and noting that "Congress.org ranks him one of our nation's three least influential senators." Akaka's camp fired back yesterday, saying Case is much worse than Akaka according to Congress.org... Case's TV ad does not mention that Akaka is ranked 30th in the Senate for "legislative activity" while Case is ranked 426th in the House, Akaka's campaign staff complains...

Interesting that Case's campaign seized on the Congress.org rankings, considering they had the whole TIME thing already. Guess others similarly discounted it given Case's brother's link to the magazine. But citing a source that says you also suck isn't the brightest idea.

True, Akaka's had a much longer tenure in Congress to make a difference. But conversely, I would have hoped Case would've proved his self-proclaimed talents in his current seat in the House before jumping, once again, into the next bigger and better race.

ETA: Here's my write-up with a handy dandy table with the various scores and ranks for both Akaka and Case as well as Inouye and Abercrombie.

[Ho'ohoa]

Re: Case versus Akaka

Aloha kakou, this is my first time on HawaiiThreads!

Anapuni, mahalo for posting the link to that article. Here's part of what it says:

"In 1995, the International Trade Commission ("ITC") estimated that the act costs the U.S. economy $2.8 billion annually. The ITC also estimates that a repeal of the Jones Act would reduce domestic shipping prices by about 26 percent. Critics further question whether the act helps national security; during the Persian Gulf War, only one Jones Act ship went to war. Finally, opponents claim that the act's U.S.-built requirement has resulted in an inefficient and noncompetitive shipbuilding industry that lags far behind those of many foreign nations. ... Hawaiian ranchers complain that too few Jones Act vessels are available to transport their cattle to the U.S. mainland."

Auntie Lynn is right: the Jones Act is terrible, it hurts all of us. The big shipping corporations want to keep it because it prevents others from competing, so they make more money. TuNnL, it doesn't help us if somebody else can come in with the same high costs and making the same big profits--it only helps us if somebody can come in with lower costs. It costs too much already to live here, but if we got rid of the Jones Act it would be easier for all of us.

And the idea that we need it for national security is pure shibai.

Did you ever talk to somebody who got rich because of the Jones Act? It wasn't a worker, it was a Matson exec. Akaka wants to keep the Jones Act because he gets big contributions from the shipping companies.

[Keanu]

Re: Case versus Akaka

My girlfriend recently received a mailing from the Realtors Political Action Committee. I guess it's the political arm of the National Association of Realtors. This mailing came from Washington DC. I was kind of indifferent to Case before but this mailing pissed me off. In commenting on Case's roots in Hawaii the mailing states (direct quote) "Born and raised in Hilo, Ed Case is a fourth generation Hawaiian....". Later in commenting about healthcare, the flyer says the following... "Congressman Case is fighting to make it easier for small business to band together to lower their healthcare costs so more Hawaiians have access to affordable health insurance." Huh? One would think that those responsible for mailing this thing out would do a little research first. I'd venture to guess most people back on the continent really don't have a clue. I know a bunch of people who are also up in arms over this mailing. This will hurt Ed Case much more than it will help him.

[pzarquon]

Re: Case versus Akaka

"Fourth-generation Hawaiian"? Yike. Well, one thing that laughable mailing might prove? Maybe it was produced without the authorization of any candidate (as the fine print always says). Because it's hard to imagine Case's campaign team being so sloppy.

Meanwhile, Inouye has withdrawn his support of Lieberman. What does this have to do with Case v. Akaka? Well, in addition to the possible parallels in the primary race (mentioned earlier in this thread), Inouye's belated shift to backing Lamont (as Akaka and most Democrats did as soon as the results were announced) leaves Case as one of the few Democrats still backing Lieberman in his "screw what the voters think, I'm running as an Independent!" campaign. You know, the one where Republicans are also backing the erstwhile Democrat instead of their own party's candidate in the general election.

Of course, since Case has already demonstrated that he has no particular loyalty to his party (and that he's quite comfortable in the company of Republicans), I doubt he'll change gears now.

It does make me curious as to whether there might be party sanctions, though. Now that Inouye's out of the Lieberman crab bucket, party leaders might be a bit less hesitant to do something.

[i-hungry]

Re: Case versus Akaka

Looks like there's a more credible source than TIME magazine turning up in the "effective legislator rankings" fray between Case and Akaka: Congress.org:Interesting that Case's campaign seized on the Congress.org rankings, considering they had the whole TIME thing already. Guess others similarly discounted it given Case's brother's link to the magazine. But citing a source that says you also suck isn't the brightest idea.

So much for talking crap about your opponent. The "fourth-generation Hawaiian" was better off staying positive during this campaign run.

[1stwahine]

Re: Case versus Akaka

I think the Realtors run their own campaign, unrelated to the candidate's campaign. I was watching the commercial last night, and the tagline said something like it was independant and unapproved. It was sloppy, no doubt about it, and I'm pretty sure the Realtors got an earful about it already from their own local membership.

I think plenty people in the Hawaiian community might get piss off at Ed for this, even though not his fault. For Ed, I think it hurts when people in the Hawaiian community rag on him, because deep down, he's Hawaiian at heart. Try look his video on the website. People freak first time they hear him talk and act like that. Some people think all show. But bruddah is the only candidate I ever seen come HQ with surfer shorts and slippers and eat plate lunch like me . . . you know . . . hold the fork like one bicycle handle.

My guess is like a lot of people from the mainland, they used Hawaiian like Californian or Floridian. Still no excuse, but what's done is done, and I hope they do something to rectify this.

If the campaign had a chance to review the flyers, they would surely have caught it.

I think under campaign spending rules, large PACs can help a candidate but gotta do it independantly meaning no advice from the local campaign. Something like that.

Politics. So much kukai flying. Getting hard time foa duck. So much to learn ~ spooky yet interesting.heheheh

Auntie Lynn

[anapuni808]

Re: Case versus Akaka

For the last time on here I hope and while it doesn't make any difference to Ed's campaign, it does to the perception of him:

ED Case is NOT the brother of STEVE Case, founder of AOL. Period. This is a true fact. Ed's father is James Case. Steve's father is Dan Case. I know this - for a fact.

While I don't either oppose or support Ed Case, I really don't see why folks keep trying to change his family around

[pzarquon]

Re: Case versus Akaka

ED Case is NOT the brother of STEVE Case, founder of AOL.

Urp. Cousin. I knew that. Got it right when I blogged the Congress.org results, but botched it posting the link to HT. Must've read 'brother' in an earlier post and gotten muddled. Yeah, that's it. Sorry, Fran!

By the way, while I love pointing out the tin-foil-hat theory about Ed Case and Steve Case and TIME and AOL, I personally think it's ridiculous. Doesn't help TIME's credibility, but no, I don't think pounding on Akaka was something done to benefit Ed. They made a decent case, and were otherwise backhandedly complimentary -- saying, basically, that Akaka's too soft for the feisty maelstrom of the U.S. House.

And 1stwahine, that's a remarkable analysis of the National Association of Realtors' foray into Hawaii politics. No whack whacks, but a nicely placed kukae.

So Ed is backed by largely Mainland real estate agents -- a group of people more than a few folks blame for the state of home prices 'round here. I don't know if the endorsement is more a benefit or a liability to Ed Case. Meanwhile, he's also winning all sorts of business and industrial endorsements. I'm sure those are valuable constituencies, but from a perception angle, it's sure obvious why "fighting for the little guy" is not one of the main planks of the Case campaign.

He's largely got the backing of traditional Republican interests, but on the other hand, they just might get him elected.

Speaking of being a bad Democrat, I'd love to see someone in the Hawaii Democratic party file a formal complaint over Case's continued backing of the now-Independent Lieberman. As Doug White has noted at Poinography, it's technically grounds for censure. Can you imagine Case's campaign torpedoed over a technicality? Though of course it would fit the "old boys' club" allegations he's been making to a T.

[glossyp]

Re: Case versus Akaka

Speaking of being a bad Democrat, I'd love to see someone in the Hawaii Democratic party file a formal complaint over Case's continued backing of the now-Independent Lieberman. As Doug White has noted at Poinography, it's technically grounds for censure. Can you imagine Case's campaign torpedoed over a technicality? Though of course it would fit the "old boys' club" allegations he's been making to a T.

It would likely backfire exactly because it would fit "the old boys' club" image a lot of voters have about Democratic party politics.

[Keanu]

Re: Case versus Akaka

So Ed is backed by largely Mainland real estate agents -- a group of people more than a few folks blame for the state of home prices 'round here. I don't know if the endorsement is more a benefit or a liability to Ed Case. Meanwhile, he's also winning all sorts of business and industrial endorsements. I'm sure those are valuable constituencies, but from a perception angle, it's sure obvious why "fighting for the little guy" is not one of the main planks of the Case campaign.

This endorsement is a liability. There is a disclaimer noting that the flyer is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee...still though, I don't see how Case can benefit from this presumptuous association.

[damontucker]

Re: Case versus Akaka

There is a disclaimer noting that the flyer is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee, still though I don't see how Case can benefit from this presumptious association

if this is the case... One might even assume that it could have been floated out there by an Akaka supporter knowing the "Reverse Psychology" backfire ploy

[TuNnL]

Re: Case versus Akaka

It’s on and crackin.’

Akaka and Case to face off tonight Both sides view the event as pivotal for their campaigns

Anticipation brims for Akaka-Case debate Voters tonight will get their only chance to watch Akaka and Case in a live debate before the Sept. 23 Democratic primary for Senate.

Primary Decision 2006, The Akaka-Case Debate Thursday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m.

[pzarquon]

Re: Case versus Akaka

Is anyone going to be liveblogging or otherwise providing running commentary on the debate as it unfolds? (Doug?) Perhaps a separate, debate-specific "live thread" here could work, depending on how many people are planning to watch (and will have the presence of mind to type at the same time!)...

[advertiser]

Re: Case versus Akaka

The Advertiser will be posting brief updates on the debate as it unfolds. One of our bloggers, David Shapiro, will also be posting live commentary and interacting with readers. Jerry Burris, our political columnist, will post video commentary.

honoluluadvertiser.com