Republican governor
would be worst thing
for Hawaii
We need better governing
By Elizabeth Jubin Fujiwara
from Cayetano, not the
elitism of the GOPI was an active supporter of Ben Cayetano in the last election. Yet like many in Hawaii, I have become disheartened by our economic situation as well as some of the difficult social policy decisions that Governor Cayetano has been forced to make.
Yet, even with his cloak of power, once faced with all the facts -- in a context that only he knows as governor -- no one would envy Cayetano as the ultimate decision-maker. The reality is Cayetano was dealing with the disaster that he inherited from John Waihee.
Now we have a chance to have what appears to be a bright, capable, articulate woman at the helm of our state. As a woman, I am proud.
As a citizen and 30-year resident of Hawaii, I am scared. As the recent national chairperson of the Employment Section of the American Trial Lawyers Association, and founder and three-term president of the Hawaii Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers Association, I am petrified for our state.
Why am I scared of such a capable woman? I was born and raised in the Deep South -- New Orleans, La., to be exact. My family and extended family, our close friends and all the members of our white church parish were all staunch Democrats. That's how it was.
Then, through the infamous George Wallace, a longtime friend of the KKK, the Republicans developed a "Southern strategy," a vehicle for racial fear, hatred and bigotry. The Deep South was transformed into a Republican stronghold by convincing Southern whites that if they joined up, the Republicans would protect them from "niggers."
It worked. Today the GOP stands for the party that is an anathema to everything I have dedicated my life to since I was a high school student in New Orleans, and that is equal rights for all.
But is the Democratic Party still the answer for Hawaii today? Yes.
Yes, we are sick of the unions and their misuse of power. Politically and philosophically, I am very pro-union. Consequently, I get even more disgusted every time a client who is a union member has to pay me to do what the union should do: protect the employee from the employer. Even worse is when I must consider suing the union for actually not protecting my client.
Yes, we all want to join in the economic prosperity of America, if America can still claim prosperity after the recent events on Wall Street.
Yes, we are all tired of Bill Clinton's infidelities and shenanigans. But does that make him a bad president? No, it makes him a jerk and definitely a lousy husband. (By the way we should all remember that this matter is not sexual harassment, because with sexual harassment there must be "unwelcomeness." I have never seen such welcomeness by a woman in my life!)
Clinton is, as one commentator described him, "a gifted president, a gifted man." As a fellow Southerner, I cannot tell you how proud I am of him.
Does America realize what he has done for the blacks, other minorities and women in this country? Just some very recent examples are his work on healing race relations in America, placing women and blacks in powerful positions, and protecting their rights. His caring for the poor is also legendary. We must not forget that.
Somehow, I do not recall the same concerns for women, blacks and other minorities in the Republican Party during Nixon, Ford, Reagan or Bush. In fact, each of these groups lost ground under these Republican presidents.
Locally, the Republican Party has followed the national tradition of noblesse oblige. It is not a mistake that the former head of the Republican Party was a named partner for decades in a law firm that protects the interests of employers, not the workers.
Governor Cayetano does need to exhibit more enlightened leadership and creativity in helping struggling local businesses. However, at the same time, there must be compassionate programs and policies for the poor, the disabled and, as importantly, accommodating the Hawaiians' quest for sovereignty.
The longtime local Republican tradition of elitism, which fostered the overthrow in 1893, will more than likely continue to deny rights to our citizens. This is not the answer -- it is incapable of birthing any new answers for Hawaii, which is now based on the Democratic tradition of equality.
This GOP tradition of elitism is not the hope or the vision for carrying Hawaii into the 21st century.
Elizabeth Jubin Fujiwara is a Honolulu civil-rights attorney.