HAWAII'S political mood has taken an ugly turn that threatens to sink us if we don't get our emotions under control. Let’s put election
bickering behind usIn the aftermath of a gut-wrenching election, the voices of bitterness are outshouting the voices of reconciliation. Letters columns in the newspapers and radio talk shows are full of bitter partisans who insult the intelligence of those who voted the other way, allege chicanery in the opposing camps and predict a gloomy future for Hawaii. If we can't find a way past this post-election whining, it'll become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
We need to return to the democratic tradition that has always sustained us -- fighting hard in the campaign and then closing ranks behind the winners. Too many on the losing side have forgotten the noble art of accepting defeat graciously. Too many winners have forgotten how to be magnanimous.
To her credit, Maui Mayor Linda Lingle has kept mostly to herself the intense disappointment she must feel after her narrow loss to Gov. Ben Cayetano. To his credit, Cayetano has properly acknowledged Lingle's strong campaign and the clear warning it delivered to elected officials that voters want change.
Now they must summon the leadership to end the angry venting among their supporters so we can get on with our important work.
Cayetano, especially, has a choice to make. Does he care more about exercising a vindictive streak to get even with those who opposed him? Or does he want to take a shot at real distinction as the governor who reforms the Democratic Party and leads Hawaii to new prosperity?
The governor has every reason to be magnanimous and demand the same from his backers. He's always seen himself as a street fighter who had to battle for everything he ever got.
But that personal struggle is over. He made it to the top and defended his position. He says he has no further political aspirations and will retire undefeated. The ultimate victory and respect are his. Why not savor his remarkable success instead of ending up bloody and bitter like Frank Fasi?
In the same-sex marriage aftermath, coalitions on both sides are shattering. Opponents of same-sex marriage are splitting between the gay-bashers and those who didn't want the state to sanctify homosexuality by licensing marriage, but who also don't want the state to oppress gay people.
On the other side, many same-sex couples are upset about their campaign's strategy of treating them as a liability and focusing on vague constitutional issues.
They have a point. If you're going to spend over $1 million on a campaign to extend gay rights, why not use it to put a human face on homosexuality and make your best case for equity? They might not have won, but how much worse could they have done? It certainly would have softened the public for the coming battle on domestic partnerships.
IT'S time now for those of us who said it wasn't about discrimination to prove it. While the economy has first priority, at some point we need to review hundreds of laws that single out married heterosexuals for special treatment over gays and single people. We need to re-think the state's role in marriage. Maybe the state should stick to registering committed partnerships of all types and leave it to the churches to decide whom to marry. Cayetano is moving discussion in this direction.
We can fight all over again in four years. For now, the people we elected won fair and square. Let's give them a chance to try to make Hawaii a better place to live.
David Shapiro is managing editor of the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at editor@starbulletin.com.
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