by Charles Memminger
Wednesday, September 25, 1996
Mayoral candidate Frank Fasi is going to blame his loss on a lot of things, but mostly the evil newspapers and the so-called backbone of all of his election wins: the little guys, the local working stiffs.
Fasi has all kinds of theories about why his working stiffs have been staying away from the polls in droves. Last time, it was because of the rain, I recall. This year, the sun was shining but still only half the registered voters turned out. After the first print out, Fasi was still hanging tough, saying that his voters vote late. Turns out they vote really late. Like they missed the entire day.
And of course, he'll also point to the newspapers, which he has decided are the root of all political evil in the state. But newspapers are newspapers. They exist. Just like concrete tennis practice walls exist. You can yell and scream when you hit your ball against the wall and it doesn't come right back to you. You can smash it and get mad when it goes flying over your head. You can curse the wall as being unfair and unyielding. But it's just a concrete wall.
And newspapers throughout the country exist not only to cover news but to give analysis and commentary. If people don't like that product, they don't have to buy it. But they do. Most people in the state don't share Fasi's hate of the newspapers, but that's not why he got stomped in the primary election.
He got stomped, I think, because of his plan to build a tunnel under Pearl Harbor. I know, you hardly heard about it, but it was there, in the small print of his ads. And it festered away in your subconscious, even though you didn't know it. And when you walked in to the polling booth, a voice in the back of your mind whispered, "Tunnel under Pearl Harbor? Is he nuts?"
Doesn't anyone remember that little bridge over a creek in Wahiawa? What was it, 50 feet long? And it took about 10 years to build? And the water there was only about two-feet deep? And now someone actually is talking about building a tunnel UNDER Pearl Harbor? Forget the costs, which would be pretty impressive. Just consider the day when halfway under the harbor some guy on a crane says, "Whoops" and the Arizona Memorial disappears. Anyway, if you want expert political commentary, go to the editorial page. If you want the real reasons certain politicians ate it, you've come to the right spot.
For example, Milton Holt was beaten. I'm shocked. In an election when being local was a key plank in any candidate's platform, Holt should have led the pack. He's as local as they come. But he has a few problems. For one, he is the only candidate ever to actually have to run on the promise that he had actually quit beating his wife. Add to that , that he is about the only person you've ever heard of to be arrested on Bourbon Street in New Orleans for being drunk, and you've got quite a package. He put the final nail in his political aspirations when he said something like character isn't all it's cracked up to be as an issue, as long as you can get things done. Apparently, even Hawaii voters, who are known to give people second, third, fourth and fifth chances, have had it with Holt.
On the other end of the spectrum is Lex Brodie, who got more votes than anyone running in any race. He snagged more than 100,000 votes for school board. Why? He's a decent, hard-working, honest guy who made his fortune providing excellent service to customers while keeping a smile on his face. But he got the 100,000 votes anyway. Go figure and thank you, very much.
