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Dems confident
but wary of
polarization
in unions

U.S. Sen. Inouye warns
convention delegates of a
split among supporters

By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

Hawaii's Democrats concluded a low-key, three-day convention sure they will remain in control of the state and county governments through this year's elections.

"You'd better get ready for the Democrats to still be in charge of this state," U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie shouted out in his wrap-up speech yesterday.

"The working people are coming back in charge of this country," he said.

The convention smoothly handled the business of re-electing Walter Heen as party chairman, picking Lorraine Akiba, who is state labor director, as national committeewoman and former Gov. John Waihee as national committeeman.

"This has been so smooth, I didn't recognize it as a Democratic convention," Heen quipped in his address.

Sen. Daniel Akaka told delegates he would run for re-election this year and urged that more work be done to clarify the relationship between the federal government and native Hawaiians.

U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink used the occasion of the local Democratic Party's 100th anniversary to joke, "I've been in politics for so long, I can't believe it has been only a hundred years."

Mink was first elected in 1956 to the territorial House.

Convention delegates amended their party platform to change a request that the "Legislature must fund" negotiated pay raises to urging that it "shall be encouraged to" fund them.

The change was negotiated by Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono as a compromise with the state public employee unions, which were looking for a signal of support from the Democrats.

But after the convention, Gov. Ben Cayetano said the change would not have much effect on either the administrator or the Legislature.

"What they did is OK," he said, "but it doesn't change anything. We still have to look at the whole budget."

Cayetano told the delegates earlier that while the state is taking in more taxes because the economy is improving, it does not have the money to pay for the 15 percent raises won by the Hawaii Government Employees Association in an arbitrated settlement.

Party leaders such as Cayetano, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and Mink all warned, however, that Democrats' victories of the past and present do not mean the future will remain bright.

"When this party faces Election Day, it has to convince voters of what we will intend to do tomorrow, not what we did in the past," she said.

Cayetano stressed during his speech that the big challenge for Democrats will be the 2002 election when, because of reapportionment, the entire 25-person Senate along with the 51-member House and the governorship will be up for election.

Inouye warned that loyal Democratic supporters, such as labor, were becoming polarized.

"This is the first time I have ever known of a distinction made between public and private unions," he said.

"Not until recently had I heard the term 'reform Democrat.' Why are we letting ourselves be divided?" he said.

Inouye concluded by saying that Democrats will have to emphasize education and economic growth.