December 8, 2011

Aloha

Before 2011 ends and we get into the 2012 election year, I wanted to let you know about a new project that I have been working on with some great folks from around the state and to ask for your help. The project is called Hawaii Solutions and it is an Independent Expenditure Non-Candidate Committee registered with the State of Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission. You may be more familiar with the term “Super PAC,” which is what similar organizations are called on the Federal Level.

Because of recent court cases, both locally and nationally, Independent Expenditure Committees are now able to take an unlimited amount of funds from individuals and businesses. Hawaii Solutions is one of the first organizations in Hawaii to file under these new laws and, as you can imagine, this has the potential to significantly change the game of political advocacy.

I have long believed that Republican and Conservative candidates in Hawaii are at a double disadvantage. Not only do people traditionally vote Democrat here, Democrats have a significant advantage when it comes to third party spending. Democrats have all the unions, numerous Political Action Committees, and the State Democratic Party to spend money on behalf of their candidates. Our candidates can only count on the State GOP. To put it simply, we are out gunned.

I see Hawaii Solutions as a critical step toward leveling the playing field. Through Hawaii Solutions we will have the ability to match the unlimited amount of money spent by special interests on our state elections as long as we do not coordinate our efforts with candidates or their campaigns.

As you know, the values we communicate are important in all campaigns and we have worked to develop a message for Hawaii Solutions that can resonate with people on the whole range of the political spectrum. When someone receives our mail or sees an advertisement from us, they’ll know we share the same values.

You can read more about the message on our website, but here it is in a nutshell.

Hawaii’s problems, which are many, are primarily caused by our political system being controlled by people who seek to preserve the status quo that keeps them in power. If you are not a connected member of the political elite in Hawaii you get left out and left holding the bill. Hawaii Solutions seeks to elect people who will work to solve Hawaii problems, not preserve them.

The majority of the politicians in this state do not serve the people that elect them; they serve the special interests of those that keep them in office. I believe this is why so few people vote in Hawaii. Out of the 1,000,000 eligible voters in our state, less than 400,000 regularly vote. One needs only half of those people to win an election. With only 20% of the people in our state picking our leaders, it is no wonder that our state is in such terrible shape.

One of Hawaii Solutions’ main objectives will be to get more people involved in the electoral process. If just 10% of the eligible voters (60,000 people) who are currently sitting on the sidelines got involved, the outcome of our state elections would change significantly.

We will be sending you more information over the coming weeks and months but to keep the momentum going I need to ask for your help. As with all causes, we need resources to accomplish our goals. We are just getting started and I want to ask you to be an initial investor in Hawaii Solutions to help us get off the ground. Click here to go directly to our secure contribution page.

You can make a one time contribution or a monthly sustaining contribution if you want to help us for the long haul. Those who contribute will be invited to an insiders conference call on December 21st with our Board of Directors and myself to talk more about our specific strategies for 2012.

Thank you for taking the time to read about this exciting new opportunity and I look forward to sharing more with you in the future. If you don't wish to get future updates, just click the unsubscribe link below or let me know and I will take you off my list.

If you have any questions or comments or just want to catch up, feel free to email me back or call me at 937-8382.

Mahalo!

Dylan Nonaka

Strategy Director, Hawaii Solutions

P.S. Socal media will be the cornerstone of our communications effort, so please connect with us. Click here to like us on Facebook and click here to follow us on Twitter.

Coverage: Political Radar -- Super