by Andrew Walden
Psychologists and most voters have long recognized that political candidates are a narcissistic bunch, but sometimes self-absorption rises to mind-boggling heights.
After a Democrat-laden poll was released January 18 by his supporters at the Star-Bulletin and KITV, Ed Case may have expected a free ride in the media. Instead Scott Brown's January 19 paradigm-shattering Massachusetts win led national and even local media to focus on the Republicans' next big pickup opportunity--a Charles Djou win in the seat being vacated by Rep Neil Abercrombie. The change in fortunes was just too much for poor Mr. Case to bear. He cried to his friends at KITV:
"People have to turn the campaign negative against you in order to advance. They are going to try to tear you down. I am not looking forward to that.”
Case in 2006 earned the hatred of Hawaii Democrats by implying that Senator Dan Akaka was feeble-minded, ineffectual, and too liberal. In a repeat performance, on December 18 he told The Hill that Senate President Colleen Hanabusa "has no clue":
"[Abercrombie is] leaving 19 years of seniority in the House. Do you want somebody filling out his term who has seniority, who has experience, who has relationships, who knows issues, who knows Washington? Or do you want somebody that’s going to go in that has no clue, really?
“I have the experience and seniority in Washington that [Hanabusa] doesn’t.”
Within hours of Case's interview being published, Colleen Hanabusa sent an email to her supporters expressing "concern" about a "special election we cannot afford."
In an obvious reference to Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, (D-Koolina) Case shot back January 4 arguing that those who "have suggested that we don't need the special election until our regular primary election on September 18th" demonstrate "not only a disrespect for our rights as citizens, but a basic lack of knowledge of how Capitol Hill works and what's at stake."
In his December 18 interview Case told The Hill that Hawaii Dems forgave Akaka challenge:
"I polled this about a year ago. I basically wanted to get a sense of any lingering ill will that would hinder my future desire to serve. The results showed I’m pretty much starting afresh in terms of that.”
Case says he "has experience...has relationships" but apparently he didn't understand this "issue" well enough to check his "relationship" which the Dans. On December 26, Hanabusa told The Hill:
“I think that Ed should bow out. And the main reason why is that contrary to what he told you, I don’t believe that Democrats have forgiven him for the race against Senator Akaka....They have not forgotten that Ed ran against Senator Akaka. Ed has never been viewed as team player by the congressional delegation or by others in the state. He’s not a consensus builder.”
Then on January 9 both Dan Akaka and Dan Inouye joined Hanabusa at the opening of her campaign headquarters.
Case likely had grand hopes of regaining the initiative nine days later with his bogus Star Bulletin/KITV poll, but the headlines were all about Charles Djou.
And now he is reduced to crying about the evils of the negative campaigning that were his undoing in 2006--and may be again in 2010.
Meanwhile America is embroiled in two wars, national unemployment is hovering around 10%, the people have resoundingly rejected Obamacare, and Congress is now confronted with demands for more wasteful spending and job destroying tax increases.
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