Dems try to fix
threat to power

The race for party chairman
will test unity against same-sex
marriage views

By Mike Yuen
Star-Bulletin

Troubled by growing public disenchantment that could energize Republican campaigns, Hawaii's Democratic Party is again in search of its soul. This time with greater urgency.

Two years ago, during the previous Democratic state convention, U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink took to the podium and scoffed at a Star-Bulletin story quoting other Democrats about their concerns aver the party's identity and vision.

The party had not lost its direction, Mink insisted.

But few, if any, are in denial now as Democrats open their biennial convention today at the Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel with 1,000 delegates and 300 alternates.

Much is at stake: the re-election of Gov. Ben Cayetano, who has been burdened with a slumping economy and battered by poor public-approval ratings; Democratic dominance of the Legislature; and the absence of the GOP from the four-member congressional delegation.

Former state Rep. Annelle Amaral of Makakilo, a convention delegate, said she's heard some Democrats say that they see nothing wrong with a Republican governor if Democrats continue to control the Legislature. "That's spooky," Amaral said.

She added: "I believe the Republicans will be a real serious challenge. We could have significant losses of House seats."

Former Lt. Gov. Tom Gill, running for party chairman against retired state appellate Judge Walter Heen, said: "The public unrest is because the party has lost its meaning and stature. We need to restore it. People need to know what a 'D' for Democrat really is. It is not some mushy thing that 'D' represents. We need to restore the identity of the party."

Heen said Democrats need to reconnect "with our beginning" when, more than 40 years ago, the Democratic Party stood for economic and social justice and fought for the common man.

"There was a time when the party was like an umbrella -- not just for elected representatives, but for a lot of people who didn't necessarily think of themselves as Democrats," Heen said. "We also need to reconnect with those people."

Heen, 70, and Gill, 76, are from the party's glory years in the 1950s and 1960s, when Democrats battled a Republican Party that reflected the interests of a white oligarchy that controlled the islands' economy and political system.

Nowadays, Republicans contend they are the ones more in tune with the public's concerns.

Former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi, a former Democrat seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination, said that, in addition to reaching into the past, Democrats will use their convention as a springboard for a unified campaign.

"They'll circle the wagons," Fasi predicted. They'll also stress that while the economic slump under Cayetano may be making the lives of isle residents tough, it'll be worse under Linda Lingle, Fasi said. Lingle, the Maui mayor who is seen as the front-runner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, will be portrayed as having less of a concern for the everyday person, Fasi added.

Cayetano claimed that he is neutral in the battle for party chairman. But delegates believe whoever is selected will have a major impact on Cayetano's election and on whether the party is able to pull together.

Heen, who last year co-authored the "Broken Trust" critique that led to the state's investigation into the Bishop Estate, is seen as a moderate. Gill, who's also a former U.S. representative, is "well-known for his wonderful liberal ways against all odds," Amaral said.

Amaral added that, "as much as I love Tom Gill," she believes Heen is best-suited to bring the liberal and moderate wings of the party together.

Gill said he also wants unity between party officials and Democratic elected officials. The party can help forge solutions to the issues confronting the Legislature and the governor, he added.

Gill also wants the party to not be perceived as "a network" that only takes care of people who claim to be Democrats.

For many, this race is also something of a referendum on same-sex marriage. Gill is for it. Heen believes marriage should be limited to one man and one woman.

"I do not want the same-sex issue to be what the abortion issue is for the Republicans," Heen said.

"I don't believe we need to have a division in the party solely on the same-sex issue. I hope it doesn't come to that."

Gill said he welcomes the opposition of Republicans.

He said, "We should have two good, competing parties."

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Same-sex archive