By George F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Dave Patterson, left, prepared to toss the coin starting last night's
debate as candidate Gene Ward, center, shook hands with
incumbent U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie.

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Abercrombie, Ward
debate on TV

Republican challenger Ward blames
the congressman for the
state's sluggish economy

By Mike Yuen
Star-Bulletin

Republican challenger Gene Ward attacked Democratic U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie relentlessly last night, blaming Abercrombie for the state's sluggish economy.

In one instance during the hourlong debate televised by KHNL-TV, Ward demanded that Abercrombie answer with just a yes or a no to whether he supports same-sex marriage.

Abercrombie, who responded with chuckles instead of verbal fireballs, said he is working to bolster the isles' economy and that he will be voting "yes" to a proposed constitutional ban of same-gender marriage that's on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Ward noted that Hawaii's eight-year economic decline coincided with Abercrombie's years on Capitol Hill. "What would you have done differently to have prevented our economic problems? And please don't let us hear about Japan -- just Hawaii," Ward insisted.

Abercrombie, who adopted a calm, statesmanlike style for the debate, suggested to Ward that he abandon "the heated rhetoric" and "try to gather the facts."

Academics and business and labor experts agree that Hawaii's economy and Japan's economy are intertwined, Abercrombie said.

"Our economy in Hawaii is directly affected by what our Japanese visitor friends are able to bring to Hawaii in terms of the expenditures that they have, in terms of what the yen will pay, in terms of how many days they'll stay and how many people will come," he added.

Abercrombie, 60, said he has been encouraging the Japanese government to reform its banking system and to come to grips with its economic crisis. He would not have done anything differently, he added.

Because of the delegation's efforts, Hawaii gets a relatively large share of federal funds and projects, he said. For every $1 in taxes that isle residents send to Washington, the state gets $1.47 back in jobs or programs, said Abercrombie.

Ward, 55, has made boosting the isle economy his primary campaign issue, contending that can be done by eliminating the Jones Act restriction that requires all goods shipped between Hawaii and the mainland be on ships built and flagged by Americans. By allowing competition, each isle family would save about $1,000 a year because goods would be cheaper to ship to the isles, he said.

Moreover, asserted Ward, a state representative who established the Hawaii Entrepreneurship Training and Development Institute, he has the business experience that Abercrombie, "a career politician," lacks.

Abercrombie said he's been working hard to get more federal funds for more classrooms, teachers and computer-related programs for isle students.

Ward accused Abercrombie of being in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage because he voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which Congress passed and President Clinton signed into law.

Abercrombie replied that he voted against DOMA because he is not in favor of federalizing marriage laws. It has been well publicized, Abercrombie added, that he is voting "yes" on the proposed constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

Noting that Ward was a local leader behind Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson's 1988 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Abercrombie asked Ward if he still supported Robertson's plank to outlaw abortion in all instances.

"I've always been for the human rights of the unborn," Ward said. But rolling back abortion completely is not a national issue, while banning partial-birth, or late-term, abortion is, Ward added.

On Wednesday, Abercrombie and Ward face off for a debate on KHON-TV at 7 p.m.