October 29, 2010 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Even among those who identified themselves as Democrats — a party where the sun rises and sets by civil unions these days — only 61 percent supported the measure. Republican support was a minuscule 20 percent.

(In other words, the Abercrombie wing of the party is on the verge of driving out 39% of Democratic voters.)

Significant voter movement as independents decide to vote for Republicans

A Democratic campaign consultant said, "Republicans are harder to stereotype. Just because you go to private school, have a high income, do not belong to any union, belong to a church, even a conservative church, doesn't mean that you are a Republican. (In other words, the Djou and Aiona-Finnegan campaigns are pulling in lots of former Democrat voters and the Star-Advertiser is worried.)

University of Hawaii political scientist (and self described leftist) Neal Milner adds that this year there has been significant voter movement as independents decide to vote for Republicans.

There is an interesting factor in these elections, said the Democratic consultant: Party choice may reflect how connected and effective people feel.

(Corrupt) “People who feel they have a stake in the game and think they are going to succeed are likely to be Democrats. Those who feel they aren't going to make a difference, the country is going to hell and we can't stop it, are likely to be Republicans." (In other words, Democrats are the party of the elite and Republicans are the party of the people.)

That "fed-up factor" vote may be the most easy to explain, but if it wins the election, it will not be a lasting coalition. (Hold onto that arrogance progressives, it is already your undoing.)

Pay to Play Mitsuniga funding Democrat attack ads

The Democratic Party of Hawaii has launched its coordinated campaign to help push Democrats over the line in Tuesday’s general election.

The party collected $145,175 since the primary, with most of the big money tied to labor and some of the party’s top candidates.

Friends of Colleen — state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa’s campaign committee for Congress — chipped in $25,000. Dennis Mitsunaga, of the engineering firm Mitsunaga & Associates — major financial backers of former U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie for governor — came up with $25,0000. Patrick Kobayashi, of the Kobayashi Group — major donors to former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann for governor — kicked over $25,000.

REALITY: Mufi site alleges Abercrombie’s chief fundraiser at center of Harris’ “pay-for-play” scandals

Dems spend big to win Hawaii seat

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a $1.2 million campaign targeting GOP Rep. Charles Djou, the freshman congressman who won a May special election for the Democratic-leaning 1st District seat of former Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who retired to run for governor….

It’s a particularly large investment. By comparison, the committee has spent $440,000 in Ohio’s 13th District and $585,000 in Iowa’s 2nd District — seats in Democratic-leaning areas where the party is defending vulnerable incumbents. The DCCC has spent $1.4 million to protect the Massachusetts 10th District seat of retiring Democratic Rep. Bill Delahunt, which lies in the expensive Boston media market.

But Democratic campaign officials regard the Hawaii seat, which favored Hawaii native Barack Obama with 70 percent of the vote, as one of their few prospects for a pickup. A Honolulu Civil Beat poll out Wednesday showed Democratic state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa leading Djou, 49 percent to 45 percent. (This is why the progressives put so much effort into brainwashing billionaires. Without $5B E-Bay owner Pierre Omidyar’s Civil Beat to make up this poll, the DCCC would be spending its money elsewhere.)

KITV: Political Ads Numerous, Nasty (With the National Dems paying $1.2 M, KITV’s Denby Fawcett naturally does a piece on how mean and nasty the Republican ads are. So predictable.)HR: Hawaii’s lone Republican congressman watched as bellwether in close race

Lingle: Anti-Aiona ad is a smear

Lingle said Thursday the ad ignores her administration's efforts to stop Aloha Airlines and the Hawaii Superferry from closing.

The Hawaii Democratic Party ad claims Aiona "did nothing" when Aloha Airlines failed and that "his administration violated the law" to sink the Superferry.

Lingle says she helped secure the pensions of Aloha Airlines employees, tried to stop the airline's shutdown in court and formed a rapid response team for its workers.

She says she followed the law on the Superferry, and the Hawaii Supreme Court's ruling was incorrect.

Schatz promises to protect DoE corruption from Audit

Republican lieutenant governor nominee Lynn Finnegan on Thursday asked why Democratic gubernatorial candidate Neil Abercrombie last year supported an audit of the Federal Reserve but opposes an audit of the Hawaii Department of Education.

Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Brian Schatz responded that Republican gubernatorial candidate James "Duke" Aiona, the state's incumbent lieutenant governor, failed to make an education audit happen during his last eight years in office. (Uhhh because of the BoE and the legislature, both controlled by Democrats.)

Cavasso undeterred by odds in campaign against Inouye

Cavasso, a 60-year-old farmer and financial analyst, particularly cited the 2008 bailouts of Wall Street firms and General Motors, which were backed by President George W. Bush.

Cavasso also opposes congressionally directed spending, known as earmarks, saying he would sponsor no such provisions if elected.

"It violates the principle of a balanced budget," he said, noting that the message of his TV ad earlier this year was to assert how "crazy" the country's financial condition is now.

If Neil Abercrombie is Hawaii’s Next Governor …

Sam Slom unloads on Aiona for not being enough like Orson Swindle or Mufi Hannemann.

Learning Coalition founder bankrolls appointed BoE ads

Hawaii's Children First, a ballot question committee that supports moving to an appointed state Board of Education from an elected one, has spent about $504,000 so far this election season, largely on television, radio and newspaper ads.

Much of that has come from a single donor: Hawaii resident Bill Reeves, a philanthropist, investment banker and founder of The Learning Coalition.

The Hawaii State Teachers Association, which has taken the lead role in urging people to vote "no" on the question, estimates it has spent about $80,000 on the issue. Most of its spending, too, has been on advertisements.

Djou says he backs advisory vote on Akaka bill

Djou said Thursday that neither federal nor state law would allow a binding vote on a new federal statute.
He says he strongly supports the measure but would also back some sort of advisory public vote in Hawaii on the bill in the future if it is not passed during an expected lame-duck congressional session to be held after Tuesday's general election.
He also says he will hold public hearings on the measure next year if Congress considers it again.

WaPo: New slavery charges levied against Hawaii farm owners

A federal grand jury re-indicted brothers Alec and Mike Sou of Aloun Farms on charges that they lured the Thai workers to Hawaii with false promises of high wages, and then kept them working by threatening deportation and confiscating their visas.

The Sous initially reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, but then disputed some of the facts they had earlier acknowledged. Chief U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway last month rejected the deal, and the Sous instead pleaded not guilty.

The Sous would have faced up to five years in prison under that agreement.

Now, the Sous could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of the new charges handed down on Wednesday.

SA: New charges brought in Aloun case

REALITY: Neil Abercrombie's slavery problem

Honolulu Weekly to get new editor

Lucy Jokiel takes over as editor of Honolulu Weekly next week. She replaces Ragnar Carlson, who held the position since mid-2008. Jokiel most recently served as editor of HMSA’s Island Scene Magazine. She’s also spent time with Hawaii Business and Island Business, according to her bio on the Island Scene web site.

HECO and users await PUC ruling on higher rate

Hawaiian Electric Co. customers will see their monthly bills go up if a plan to increase an energy-saving fee to 1.5 percent from 1 percent is approved.

The utility's residential and business customers have been paying into the "public benefits fund" since 2009 to underwrite the cost of a wide range of incentives, including rebates for the purchases of solar water heaters, energy-efficient appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

State is fined $100,000 for Big Isle cesspools

The fine announced yesterday applied to 13 cesspools at the Jack Hall Memorial Housing complex in Kailua-Kona.

The 48-unit housing complex built in 1979 is operated by a (ILWU controlled) nonprofit on land leased from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., an agency that helps develop affordable housing.

A predecessor state agency to HHFDC had entered into a consent agreement in 2005 to close the Jack Hall housing cesspools by March 1, 2009.

Judge orders release of defendant charged with killing and dismembering a Mililani man

A state judge ordered the release today of one of two murder defendants accused of killing a Mililani man in a dispute over their indoor marijuana growing operation, then dismembering and disposing of the body in the trash. (Isn’t medical marijuana wonderful?)

Michael Connolly, 24, and Joshua Williams, 25, were both in custody without the opportunity for bail pending their murder trial in February.

Today, Circuit Judge Karen Ahn ordered Connolly released pending trial and rescheduled his trial to July. Williams is still scheduled to stand trial in February.

(Honolulu’s newly elected) prosecutor did not oppose Connolly's release and even suggested conditions to which he must abide while on pretrial release, including staying away from the witnesses in the case, living with his parents in Mililani, a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and electronic monitoring. Connolly must also report regularly to the court's Intake Service Center, which opposed the release.

In its report to the court, the Oahu Intake Service Center recommended keeping Connolly in custody. The report said Connolly may pose a danger to the community because of the cruel, vicious and callous nature of the act of which he is accused.

(We must elect Neil Abercrombie so he can appoint more judges like Karen Ahn who have compassion for dope growing axe murder suspects. And more medical marijuana.)

SA: OHA races have host of candidates

KGI: Meet your candidates for U.S. Representative

WHT: Elected or appointed?

WHT: Baker's dozen in BOE races

Maui News: Nishiki and Couch make adjustments to strategies