Hubris Online: Abercrombie’s Head Scratcher Not Logical, Must be Personal
WaPo: Neil Abercrombie’s head-scratcher
…the governor chose to roll the dice. And it’s pretty easy to see how that could backfire — as Senate appointments have been known to do.
In contrast to Inouye, Abercrombie is pretty unpopular these days, with polls throughout 2012 showing his approval rating hovering around 40 percent and about half the state’s voters viewing him unfavorably — despite the state’s huge Democratic lean.
That’s not a great position to be fighting from.
Abercrombie leads a party with a distinct divide between his own faction and Inouye’s. Besides supporting Hanabusa’s rise, Inouye encouraged former Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann to run against Abercrombie in the 2010 gubernatorial primary and criticized Abercrombie for resigning his congressional seat during that campaign….
Which is really where this pick likely came from. Though it might have been a politically difficult one for Abercrombie to make, in the end, he’s wagering that it’s worth the momentary pains of picking a political ally over a potential adversary.
“I do think there must be internal Hawaii politics at work. Inouye and (Sen. Daniel) Akaka are the Old Guard; Abercrombie is part of the new,” said one Democratic strategist. “This does not make any logical/political sense, so therefore it must be personal.”
Vanity Fair: Brian Schatz, Hawaii’s New Senator, Off to Feather-Ruffling Start
Schatz’s notable achievements include serving as the current lieutenant governor of the Pineapple State; wearing a lei in his Wikipedia picture; and being selected to replace Daniel Inouye despite not being the replacement personally selected by Inouye prior to his death.
Neil Ambercrombie’s notable achievements include serving as the current governor of the Pineapple State; wearing a. . . suit in his Wikipedia picture; selecting Brian Schatz to replace Daniel Inouye despite the ex-senator’s “last wish” that his seat go to Representative Colleen W. Hanabusa (D-HI); explaining this decision by telling reporters that “no one and nothing is preordained”; and sharing a name and residence (Neil Abercrombie and Hawaii, respectively) with every 15-year-old’s first instinct for fake-I.D. identity.
Politicker: Morning Read: ‘Hubris Online’ BuzzFeed compiled a list of six factoids about Hawaii’s senator-designate who, at 40, will be the youngest member of the U.S. Senate for a few days. Additionally, Mr. Schatz speaks “basic Chinese,” founded the “Hawaii Draft Obama” campaign in 2006 and used to operate a web consultancy called “Hubris Online” with his wife, Linda.
The Atlantic: Who Is Brian Schatz?
1. He Shares Some Weird Parallels With President Obama
2. He's Not Who Daniel Inouye Wanted for the Seat
3. He's Plugged Into Hawaii Democratic Circles
4. He's an Unknown Quantity on the National Scene
5. He's Going to Have to Hit the Ground Running
6. He May Have to Fight to Keep His Seat
RS: Neil Abercrombie ignores Daniel Inouye’s dying wish, picks White Guy
Just as a thought experiment imagine what would happen if the following scenario played out…
· A minority Republican Senator passes away.
· Choosing a successor is the responsibility of his state’s (white) (Republican) governor.
· The late Senator in question had formally made a request to the governor that a particular qualified individual (who also happens to be a minority) succeed him.
· The governor then proceeds to ignore the dying wish of the late Senator, and instead chooses his (white) Lt. Governor.
The question before the board is, Just how big would the resulting media firestorm be, anyway? Large enough to detect from orbit?
Abercrombie ignored Inouye, presumably because Inouye was safely dead and couldn’t do anything about it, and went with his Lt. Governor – who has, as near as I can tell, done virtually nothing worth commenting on.
MSN: Governor ignores late Hawaii senator's pick to succeed him “Churches are happy to make dying wishes come true, and so are country singers. But politicians in Hawaii, well, they're not interested.”
“Impeach Abercrombie”
AP: Back home in Hawaii, some praised the pick, while others expressed anger toward Abercrombie for going against Inouye.
Angry comments were plastered on Abercrombie's Facebook page following the announcement of his decision Wednesday, with some predicting he would be a one-term governor and saying he disrespected Inouye with his choice. One post read: "impeach!"
…Abercrombie faces re-election in 2014, and speculation already has started about whether Hanabusa might challenge him. Hanabusa wasn't talking Thursday
read … Impeach
Poll: 48% - 42% No Schatz
Do you agree with Gov. Abercrombie's decision to pick Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz to fill Inouye's senate seat?
Pritchett's Pen: The Wrath of Dan
read … PBN Survey
Hanabusa vs Schatz 2014?
HE: “It is all very easy,” Hawaii Republican State Sen. Sam Slom told Human Events Wednesday. “Schatz is former Hawaii Democratic Party Chairman. Abercrombie had a falling out with Inouye. Abercrombie and Schatz supported Obama (for President in 2008). Inouye and Hanabusa supported Hillary (Clinton).”
Slom added that “(i)f Hanabusa had been appointed,” there would have been a special election to fill her House seat and, in his opinion, “Republican Charles Djou probably could have won the seat in a special election, as he did in early 2010 (but lost in the general election that year to former State Sen. Hanabusa).”….
Although she is not saying anything now, Hanabusa would surprise few if she decided to take on Schatz — the senator who got the appointment Inouye wanted her to have — in 2014 when an election will be held for the remaining two years of Inouye’s term.
For Hawaii Republicans, this clearly points to another opportunity for former two-term Gov. Linda Lingle, who lost a bid for Hawaii’s other Senate seat this year. The centrist Lingle would be in a stronger position after Democrats have waged a civil war among themselves — something Gov. Abercrombie may well have fired the first shot in last night when he defied Sen. Inouye’s dying wish.
read … Human Events
Obama Behind Schatz Appointment?
SOO: Apparently, this trip was about Blogojevich style cronyism, making sure that the Senate seat so ably held by the late Daniel Inouye would go to Obama political crony Brian Schatz. Over Inouye’s strenuous pre death objection. It is now evident that Obama is intent on packing the Senate with young leftist extremists, within his control and not interested in deliberation, compromise or the best interests of anyone other than his political patron.
read … Obamabot Senator
Times of Israel: Hawaii’s Jewish lieutenant governor chosen for US Senate seat
On Top: Brian Schatz, Hawaii's New Senator, Supports Gay Marriage
The Hill: New Hawaii senator pledges to tackle climate change
The Hill: After Snatching Inouye’s Senate Seat, Obama and Schatz fly back together
Atomic Monkey: Schatz has big shoes to fill
Daily Kos: Schatz first become known to the public with his work in founding and operating Youth for Environmental Service in his native Honolulu in the mid-1990s after attending college on the Mainland. Before being elected as Lt. Governor in 2010, Schatz served in the State House of Representatives, ran for Congress, was CEO of a nonprofit social-service agency, helped to draft Barack Obama into a run for the presidency, and ran Obama's 2008 presidential campaign in Hawai`i. Obama endorsed Schatz in 2008 in his successful bid to chair Hawai`i's Democratic Party.
He's regarded as a progressive reformer who pledges to advance civil rights and environmental protection.
At 40 years old, Schatz will be the youngest member of the Senate.