|
On Politics Richard Borreca |
Hong’s narrow defeat
by Senate will
still reverberate
in November
Just minutes after senators voted to reject Governor Lingle's nomination of Ted Hong to the Third Circuit Court in Hilo, politicians and political operators were adding up not the 13-12 vote, but how the tally will play in the fall elections.
The denial definitely will send reverberations through the November election. Hong, 46, a product of Hawaii public schools, the University of Hawaii and the William S. Richardson School of Law, comes from impeccable Democratic stock. His mother was a school teacher, his father was the tall, reserved attorney general under former Gov. George Ariyoshi and the family is an important part of the Wahiawa community.
As Hong sat Friday afternoon in the Senate gallery, covered in leis, listening to his character being praised and condemned, he had to wonder how the final result will figure into events months from now.
One long-time Democratic leader worried that the failing vote will lure Lingle into a war with incumbent Democratic senators. The Republican governor already has said her goal in 2004 is to win the state House, by defeating 11 Democrats and holding the existing 15 GOP seats.
Is it likely that Lingle will deviate from plan and start to target Senate Democrats? Probably not. But targets of opportunity have opened up.
Maui Democrat Roz Baker, who represents the conservative Kihei area, already was considered to be threatened by Republican Don Couch, who lost to Baker by only 210 votes in 2002. Baker voted against Hong and, as one Democratic senator mused, "voting against the governor when you are in a strong Republican district is not going to win you any friends."
Even Hong's nemesis, Big Island Democrat Lorraine Inouye, may find that leading the fight against Hong will hurt her with Democrats on the Big Island. Senator Inouye is the former mayor of the Big Island and has strong support in Hilo. But she lost to former mayor Steve Yamashiro, and she provoked his supporters and many Hilo Democrats by opposing Hong.
Lingle immediately noted that the Democrats who dumped Hong "totally disrespected the people of the Big Island," a potential campaign theme that should have some resonance in the fall.
The strongest indication that this battle is not over came from Hong himself, who, instead of accepting defeat, saw the rejection as a battle in a war that the Democrats will lose.
Saying that the state was just one vote away from "breaking the culture of fear" on Friday, Hong easily cast himself as part of a new generation of reform-minded residents who want to be involved and who have found the Democratic Party has no room for them.
"My message to younger people, to the next generation of leaders, is do not be afraid, do not be afraid to contribute, do not be afraid to contribute, we almost had the opportunity. In November, we are going to make that opportunity happen," Hong said.
Hong spoke not so much to Democrats, but to Hawaii-raised citizens who, as former Gov. John Burns said, suffer a subtle feeling of inferiority.
"There seems to be an idea that culturally we can't tolerate people who are willing to express different ideas ... I come from a generation where that is not acceptable, we don't have to do that anymore," Hong said.
Hong and Hawaii Republicans figure the new day dawns with the November election.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Richard Borreca writes on politics every Sunday in the Star-Bulletin. He can be reached at 525-8630 or by e-mail at rborreca@starbulletin.com.