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Stage set If the Democratic National Convention in California is a gathering of the troops, no general brings an army to Los Angeles stronger than the 33 delegates representing Hawaii's Democrats.
in California
Hawaii political heavyweights
Dems to debate support for Hawaiians
fly east to join their mainland
counterparts and rally the troopsBy Richard Borreca
Star-BulletinTogether they represent nearly all the political power in Hawaii, from senior U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and the rest of the Hawaii congressional delegation to Gov. Ben Cayetano and Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono.
Others include Russell Okata, executive director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the state's most powerful public work union, lobbyist Linda Rosehill, and lobbyist Jennifer Diesman, who is going as a page.
The delegation is led by former state Judge Walter Heen, whose family has been involved in Democratic politics since the early days of the now 100-year-old party's presence in Hawaii.But while the party comes to LA with clout, it also comes with its hand open, asking for help.
"I hope we are successful in getting a recognition from the DNC (Democratic National Committee) that the party is not on such firm ground that we don't need financial help," Heen said. "I don't think we are in danger of losing the presidential election, but we may lose a couple of legislative seats.
"I'm looking ahead to the 2002 election; that is when we have to keep them (Republicans) from storming the barricades," Heen said.
Former national committeewoman Rosehill adds that one of Heen's informal jobs at the convention will be to persuade the Democrats to give the local party money. Going into the convention, Democrats maintain a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in "soft money" -- money donated to parties to be used for any political purpose.
"The judge will have to tie up the money and justify why Hawaii needs it," Rosehill said.
The titular head of Democrats, Gov. Cayetano, sees the convention in other terms.
He reports getting daily e-mails from convention officials who are sounding out messages to use during the convention.
"The conventions have become more of a political rally than something of real substance," Cayetano said.
"I don't see any real big theme coming out of it," said Cayetano, who said this will mostly likely be his last political convention.
He wishes that Vice President Gore would change his campaign strategy, adding that while he thinks Gore will win Hawaii, the vice president will have a more difficult time winning the country.
The national mood has something to do with it, so that no matter how vibrant the economy is across the country, there are still political problems.
"You can't quite put your finger on it, but people are kind of disgusted or disappointed," Cayetano said. "Whatever you might have thought of John Kennedy, he inspired people."
"I remember going to the 1988 convention, my first convention," Cayetano said. "There were speeches there that were important -- it is changing now, maybe because of the players. A president may be a great orator, but if the people don't believe him, it doesn't have any impact," Cayetano said.
What Gore should do, Cayetano said, is relax, ignore his public relations advisers and speak openly.
"The best commercial he ever shot in his life was the one he did for us (during Cayetano's 1998 re-election campaign). He was relaxed, he had a nice smile, and he was wearing an aloha shirt. These commercials of his on the mainland, they are terrible. People basically want to see the human side of the candidate," Cayetano said.
Cayetano recalls that Gore was one of the first people to call him when he was in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer three years ago and it made an impression.
"He's a warm and very thoughtful person, but when he gets before the cameras, I don't know," Cayetano said.
For some, however, the Democratic National Convention will be the first time to make political contacts with national organizations. That sort of networking is important to one new delegate, Keith Kamisugi, 29, who, although he's an alternate, hopes to get together with the major Democratic players.
"Almost anything I do at the convention will help me understand Democratic politics at a national level," Kamisugi said.
The relationship between the United States and native Hawaiians will be debated next week on the floor of the 2000 Democratic National Convention. Dems to debate
party support for
native HawaiiansBy Pat Omandam
Star-BulletinWalter Heen, state party chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, said yesterday Democrat Daniel K. Nahoopii, Hawaii's representative to the convention platform committee, succeeded in including language in the platform committee report affirming that the legal and political relationship between the U.S. and native Hawaiians is "an important step" in the reconciliation process.
Part of the language reads: "We will work to pass legislation establishing a process for native Hawaiians to reorganize a governing body, freely chosen, expressing their rights to self-determination."
Heen said the Hawaii delegation will hold a news conference Tuesday morning at their hotel in Los Angeles to discuss the proposed support for Hawaiian rights.
The platform committee report is scheduled for debate on the convention floor later that day.
"Unlike the empty words of the GOP, we take action on what we believe in and that always means we put people first," said Heen, who added the Democratic party is proving it is the party of diversity and inclusion.
