NRO: Finally, They Tossed Out That Classy, Polite, Dignified Incumbent!
Rail funding in jeopardy as key House sponsor ousted by Americans
Abercrombie lied: Clayton Hee to head DHHL?
Sources told KITV 4 News that Big Island Democratic State Sen. Josh Green has applied for the state health director's position. Green is an emergency room doctor who's vice chair of the Senate health committee. He's considered by some Democratic party insiders to be a rising political star.
Kaneohe State Senator Clayton Hee, also a Democrat, is being mentioned as a potential director for either the state Department of Land and Natural Resources or the Department of Hawaiian Homelands. Hee is a former chairman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees. He and Abercrombie served in the legislature together in the 1980s and Hee is one of the few legislators remaining in office who’s a contemporary of the incoming governor.
Reached for comment early Thursday night, Hee said: "I'm interested in helping Neil be the best governor in whatever capacity. Right now, my focus is re-organizing the Senate," a process underway following the election to Congress of Senate president Colleen Hanabusa.
“I’ll serve Neil (not the people) to the extent he needs me,” Hee said. “That service may be in the Senate. Who knows?”
(Of course Hee would destroy DHHL to enrich Sandwich Isles Communications. This is obvious to even the casual observer. At this point we would like to remind our readers that the AFG Fact Check website includes this item under “False Rumors and Attacks”...)
QUESTION: Will Neil appoint Clayton Hee to head the Department of Land and Natural Resources or the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands?
ANSWER: NO. This rumor is completely unfounded to stir up opponents of Senator Hee against Neil. Furthermore, Neil has not even thought about whom he might appoint to any position if he is elected Governor. He has made no decisions, has made no promises, and has not had any conversations with anyone about a possible cabinet appointment. Neil’s entire focus is on winning the election.
The simple fact that a Hee appointment is no longer dismissed out of hand shows that Neil Abercrombie is a liar.
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Peter Principle: Transsexual, other elected BoE members expect Abercrombie to appoint them to BoE
Transsexual Mr Kim Coco Iwamoto (whose campaign was endorsed by many key Abercrombie campaign insiders) said she (sic) too would like to be considered for an appointment, "if the governor-elect has been impressed with my student-focus service on the BOE" and with the overwhelming support she got from voters. She did not take a position on an elected versus appointed school board before Tuesday's election.
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Inouye: Akaka Bill “not a priority”
Hawaii's Akaka bill to bring self governance to native Hawaiians OHA cronies appears dead in its tracks with Republicans taking over control of the U.S. House in January.
Hawaii's Sen. Dan Inouye (D) said, "the odds of the Akaka bill passing are very bad."
"I want to be upfront and candid because I don't want people to have their hopes unjustifiably raised. At this stage, it is not one of the so-called priority measures," said Inouye.
Republican U.S. Rep. Charles Djou said he might have been able to help with the Akaka Bill if he had been re-elected. He was defeated Tuesday by Hawaii State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa (D).
Djou said if he had remained Hawaii's First Congressional district representative, he could have participated in the majority caucus in the House to push for Hawaii legislation.
"The Akaka Bill is going to be doubtful now without a bipartisan Congressional delegation from Hawaii," said Djou.
REALITY: Inouye: “Odds of passing the Akaka Bill are bad”
Djou: Won’t rule out future run
When pressed on his political future, he would not speculate.
"Could this be my last race? Yes," he said, before adding: "Never say never.
"I won't completely rule it out. Really, right now I'm looking forward to opening a new chapter in my life." …
"Honestly, we were going up against Goliath, and the Democratic machine is just powerful here in the state," Djou said. "I thought we had a good message talking about fiscal responsibility and a bipartisan congressional delegation, but our message didn't carry the day," he added. "The machine's message of a unified monolithic congressional delegation and for more government rather than less -- that's the message that won, and mine did not." …
Djou now holds the distinction of being the only congressional incumbent voted out of office in Hawaii. But he is hardly damaged goods, said Neal Milner, professor of political science at the University of Hawaii.
"He just looked so crestfallen after losing I'm not sure that question is even very relevant to him right now," Milner said. "But if he wants to stay in politics, there's always room for a smart Republican.
"He's as good as any Republican candidate they've got right now."
Djou plans to return to Washington to finish the lame-duck session that begins Nov. 15. He does not expect any controversial issues to come up, "but Congress is always full of surprises."
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Lingle: “Wait and see”
Is this the last time she'll seek public office? "I don't know. We'll wait and see what happens. But I'll take some time off in the coming months," she said.
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Too fast for Democrats to kill project, Lingle, Brass re-dedicate Kulani Prison as School
The Hawaii National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Academy program at Kulani is similar to the program at Kalaeloa, Oahu. It's administered by the Hawaii National Guard and funded jointly by the state and U.S. Departments of Defense.
Officials said the Kulani program is an attempt to redirect some of the 6,000 youths that dropped out of Hawaii's public schools in the last year. Only half of those who applied for the program are accepted due to lack of space.
(Democrat activist Kat Brady failed to block dedication for the former prison as a school. In spite of this failure, Abercrombie can take solace in the fact that he still has a chance to kill Robotics and STEM.)
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Election-day Registration: Progressives new scheme to maximize Democrat voting & Fraud
A new study published by the University of Wisconsin this June takes a look at the issue on a national level. Titled "Election Laws, Mobilization, and Turnout: The Unanticipated Consequences of Election Reform," the study [pdf] posits that early voting is "reducing the civic significance of elections" and actually driving down turnout.
One possible solution would involve election-day registration, which would allow motivated citizens to get signed up and vote in one fell swoop instead of having to plan 30 or more days in advance.
REALITY: Vote By Mail: “Tool of choice for voter fraud”
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State Senate Democrats select Maui's Tsutsui to replace Hanabusa as president
State Sen. David Ige will be the new chairman of the powerful Senate Ways and Means Committee. State Sen. Clayton Hee will chair the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee. (Former molester-employer) State Sen. Rosalyn Baker will lead the Senate Consumer Protection Committee (where she will continue to protect MMMC against Maui’s medical “consumers”).
Tsutsui said other committee assignments are expected to be announced today.
Democrats have aligned themselves in competing factions and have formed leadership coalitions, usually by splitting the presidency and the Ways and Means Committee between factions, but look at the comments in the next article for more clues.
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Kremlinology Hawaii Style: Democrats comment on new Senate Leadership
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It appears that Donna and Roz teamed up to outmaneuver Kokubun.
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Hell froze over – it’s a Kim/Baker team up after all. Ige in WAM is a surprise, but I would say is a good compromise between Baker and Kim. But Hee in Judiciary…we’ll have to see how that goes.
But now I’m curious, who in the Senate is joining Abercrombie’s administration team?
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Shan constantly gets underestimated by the political experts, pundits and know-it-alls on the railing (he beat an incumbent in his first run when a union poll had him losing by a wide margin). He works. He listens to people. He gets along with his colleagues (including folks in the losing faction). The floaters (Clayton, Willie) always play. Roz Baker’s group (which includes David Ige) is always willing to talk. Shan’s group comes to decisions and can count to 13.
BTW Glenn Wakai starts his new career in the State Senate like he did in the House, picking the wrong group in organization– the difference is up to four years in Siberia before the next election instead of two. Josh Green pinned some of his confirmation for Department of Health hopes on voting with the so-called favorite (Russell Kokubun).
Note that Labor has been folded into the Judiciary committee under Clay. . . The new House Judiciary chair will have “Fun times” handling civil unions and other bills. But with Clay in power, DLNR folks should be relieved.
This is just like trying to figure out the Soviet Politburo by examining where they stand on the Kremlin Wall during military parades.
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Abercrombie to flood Democratic Party with Obamabots, wipe out old boy factions
Important for the 72-year-old fiery Democrat are changes to his own state Democratic Party.
"I intend to be very active on that," Abercrombie said. "I mean in taking the terrific foundation of grassroots and what I like to call 'netroots' (nutroots) participation and expansion and parlay that into active Democratic Party membership." He has seen the payoff in party registration from the 2008 surge, thanks to excited islanders drawn to the Democratic Party caucus to vote for Hawaii-born Barack Obama.
(The old boys successfully marginalized those annoying Obamabot outsiders, now Abercrombie will use theses ready-made cult followers to smash the remnants of the Inouye wing of the party while intending to maintain the one-party grip on Hawaii politics. Think “Cultural Revolution” with Abercrombie as Mao Zedong and Inouye as Deng Xiaoping. Of course, this is not a military dictatorship, so Abercrombie invites wayward Republicans to come in out of the cold:)
TOTALLY RELATED: Obama voters a no-show at Hawaii Democratic caucuses
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Oshiro to introduce Civil Unions bill again
When asked whether he was hopeful, too, Abercrombie smiled. "Where marriage or any kind of union between adults is concerned, I'm always filled with what Bob Dylan said about Columbus when he sailed into America, 'Good luck!'" …
Rep. Blake Oshiro authored that bill, and held onto his seat in the House after challenges from former City Councilman Gary Okino — a vocal opponent of gay rights — in the primary election, and Sam Kong in the general election. Kong called civil unions a "slippery slope" on his campaign website.
"I will be introducing civil unions legislation again," Oshiro told Civil Beat Thursday afternoon. "I will be talking to all of my colleagues to see what level of support they have, and whether they are interested in co-introducing it."
Oshiro said there will be some minor "technical" changes to the new legislation, as compared to last year's House Bill 444. He said the new gubernatorial leadership makes him hopeful, but cautiously so.
"It looks optimistic but it's really too early to make any real accurate predictions about the viability of getting it passed," Oshiro said. "There are a lot of different things between the introduction and the final vote."
(Kremlinology Tip) But what happens with civil unions will depend largely on who is named judiciary chair. It's up to the House Judiciary Committee to pass the legislation before it reached House and Senate votes.
Gayopolis: Civil Unions Supporter Abercrombie Wins Hawaii Governorship
LezGetReal: Path Clearer For Civil Unions In Hawaii?
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Oahu’s rash of incumbents
Neighbor island voters still aren’t bashful about cleaning house. This year, the Big Island voted out three council members; Maui gave the boot to its mayor, two council members and a legislator; and Kaua‘i dumped its council chairman and a legislator.
On O‘ahu, I can’t think of a single incumbent who lost unless you count Mayor Kirk Caldwell and U.S. Rep. Charles Djou, who were only warming the seats.
Why the difference? (its because the Abercrombie faction has a tighter grip on the sister islands. But their challenge to the Inouye faction is now coming to Oahu.)
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House GOP caucus to elect new Chair
State House Republicans are scheduled to meet on Friday at noon and could select a replacement for House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan, who gave up her seat to run for lieutenant governor.
The contenders are state Rep. Gene Ward, (R-Kalama Valley, Queen’s Gate, Hawaii Kai), and state Rep. Kymberly Pine, (R-Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point, Puuloa).
(With the Governor’s chair in Democratic hands, and the GOP Senate caucus down to one, The House GOP caucus now becomes the focal point for Republican input in Hawaii politics.)
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Abercrombie: Finances not important to Rail EIS decision
Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie said yesterday he would not wait for an independent financial analysis to determine whether to sign the environmental impact statement on Honolulu's $5.5 billion rail project.
Abercrombie said the role of the governor is to decide whether the environmental review was conducted properly, not to weigh in on the finances or the merits of the project, which he believes is the city's responsibility.
"I'll look at it, but the governor really doesn't decide that," Abercrombie, a rail supporter, said of a financial analysis…. (Irresponsible with your tax dollars, he is.)
(Rail is dead. This move is purely designed to affix blame on Lingle for not signing a blank EIS this Summer. But in spite of that, the SA points out the following:)
Infrastructure Management Group Inc. and CB Richard Ellis are preparing the financial analysis and are expected to be finished by December. (Abercrombie sworn in Dec 6)
The environmental impact statement is being reviewed by the state Office of Environmental Quality Control and has yet to reach the governor's desk. Lingle has said she would share the financial analysis and leave the decision on whether to sign the environmental review for the next governor.
(So Lingle couldn’t sign the EIS now if she wanted to. This fact will be ignored in 2012 Senate campaign commercials.)
REALITY: Rail funding in jeopardy as key House sponsor ousted by Americans
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Abercrombie Announces Transition Plan
HONOLULU, HI – Governor-Elect Neil Abercrombie today announced plans for the transition to a new Abercrombie/Schatz Administration, including the process for ensuring a smooth transition from the current administration.
Bill Kaneko, who served as the campaign manager for the Abercrombie for Governor campaign, will serve as the Transition Director.
Abercrombie also announced the launch of the transition website, NewDayHawaii.org, titled after his vision for Hawaii unveiled during the gubernatorial campaign. The website is a critical avenue for members of the public to learn more about Abercrombie’s plans and to submit input and advice. Every person Democrat operative interested in applying for a position with the Abercrombie Administration should submit applications via the website.
CB: Gov Watch: Nov. 4, 2010
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Sen. Josh Green applies for DoH Director
Latest move in the ongoing battle royal behind the scenes over privatization of HHSC. At issue, 4000+ jobs which would be taken out of the HGEA and UPW. HGEA, UPW, and trial lawyers against HHSC management.
Green apparently came out on the losing end in the Senate reorg. He had backed the futile effort by Sen Kokubun to become Pres.
RELATED: Legislative Report: Convert HHSC to non-profit, dump civil service (full text)
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Abercrombie reaches out to education leaders in first act as Governor-Elect
On his first day as Governor-Elect, Neil Abercrombie reached out to the Superintendent of the state Department of Education Kathryn Matayoshi and University of Hawaii System President M.R.C. Greenwood to have a discussion and determine the next steps to advance education in Hawaii. The three agreed to meet in the near future to survey current issues and to work together prior to the start of the legislature.
CALL #1
NA: Hi MRC, did you hear I’m the Governor?
MRC: Build me a palace. College Hill is too cramped.
NA: Ok we’ll talk about it.
CALL #2
NA: Hi Kathy, did you hear I’m the Governor?
KM: Yes sir! The plan to sabotage RTTT is moving along smartly sir. How do you intend to gut robotics and STEM without anybody noticing, sir?
NA: I will appoint Kim Coco to oversee it. Agbayani says Kim Coco can use the position as a platform from which to criticize homophobic robotic bullying.
KM: Excellent plan sir!
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Sam Slom: Grand Old Party of one
Slom is fearful that a Legislature dominated by Democrats, led by a Democratic governor, will get little of the people’s work done. There will be no checks and balances between the two levels of government, he believes.
Although he is a party of one, Slom said he will not drop his fight to shrink government and work for the people.
“Just because there’s only one of us in the Senate, I will not neglect the pledges that I’ve made to the people about no taxes — period,” Slom said.
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Cataluna: Pull up stakes, Colleen, and move to your district
The Leg Dems will just redistrict Ko Olina into CD1.
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SA to Carlisle: Emulate Tavares on vacation rentals
Now that is strategic thinking. With all the stuff that is going on, the SA editors take the time to lay a political death trap for the State’s highest non-Democrat elected official. They truly have earned their keep.
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Enviros team up with future jailbird GTMO Greenwell to stick it to aquarium business
At least, that's what one Department of Aquatic Resources official told the Weekly. His impression was echoed by Tina Owens of the Lost Fish Coalition, a citizen's group that represents non-commercial stakeholders in the reef, such as swimmers and snorkelers. Owens said she'd asked Greenwell to introduce the resolution, after industry members flooded a hearing on Hoffman's bill to complain.
That opposition took Owens and other bill proponents by surprise, she said, because the new rules the resolution supported had been hammered out over six-years of negotiations in the West Hawai'i Fisheries Council, and she'd thought that the four industry representatives on the council had already agreed to them.
Dr. Bill Walsh of the state's Division of Aquatic Resources had the same impression.
"We thought we had all worked out [the new rules]," he told the Weekly.
RELATED: Humpbacks recover, but Hawaii still losing sovereignty over State waters
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Surfrider Foundation Strongly Opposes Reclassification of ‘O’Oma Land
Ooma will never be built.
SA: Liliuokalani trust objects to Big Isle housing project
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