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Changing Hawaii
FOR Americans, Christmas came early this year. On Dec. 13, five weeks after voters went to the polls to pick the most powerful figure on Earth, the citizens of the United States finally got their wish. Country is bushed
after gory electionAll we want for Christmas is a president.
Thirty-six days ago, it looked to be a routine exercise in democracy.
Granted, the contest would be close. Yet who would have believed that -- like the special gift stashed away in a hall closet -- the race for the presidency wouldn't soon be wrapped up and happily handed over in a bright red bow?
Then everything unraveled.
The last days of politicking got heated and ugly. Just before the big day, word leaked out about a long-ago and faraway drunk-driving case.
It made the Republican look like he had a little problem with the spiked eggnog, if you catch my drift.
The weeks following Nov. 7 were like toy stores the day after Thanksgiving. Adrenaline-pumped supporters rushed around like bargain-crazed shoppers.
The two camps reindeer-bucked each other outside ballot-counting sites amid a flurry of charges alleging confusion, collusion and fraud.
Finally, Secretary of State Katherine Harris impersonated Santa Claus and gave Florida's deciding electoral votes to -- what a coincidence! -- her favored candidate.
In the process, chad became not a name but the newest four-letter epithet in political lingo.
Appeal-happy lawyers bustled about like elves driven to finish toys by Christmas Eve, except the guys with the red power neckties were striving to make court-imposed deadlines for briefs and arguments.
Finally, a 5-4 ruling by the high court hit the Democratic candidate like a snowball to the head. He had lost and would be tossed out in the cold.
On delivering his concession speech, the vanquished looked pained and weary as he acknowledged, "It is time for me to go."
Then in strode the winner, trying not revel too much in his victory. Or perhaps he, too, was exhausted from such a long, bumpy, tumultuous sleigh ride.
During his acceptance remarks, he introduced the country's next first lady -- a bona fide baker of chocolate-chip cookies who promises never, ever to have the temerity to run for president.
As the governor left the House chambers of the Texas capitol, his Scrooge-faced Secret Service agents were no longer guarding a state official or aspirant for national office but the president-elect of this great nation.
MEANWHILE, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the residents of the last place to cast its votes watched the televised drama with more than a jingle of interest.
Perhaps no one was more relieved at the outcome than the head of the Republican Party of Hawaii, Linda Lingle. As she listened to the two titans officially close this chapter of election history, her thoughts turned to the incoming administration and her own hopes for a top post in 2002.
Since there is no GOP presence in this state's congressional delegation or governor's office, she will be invited to be plane-side when presidential dignitaries fly in.
She will be consulted when it comes to Republican appointments.
And she'll be in a sugar-plum role when it comes to raising funds for her own quest for leadership in a scant two years.
For her, during this festive yuletide season, there is certainly much joy to the world.
Diane Yukihiro Chang's column runs Monday and Friday.
She can be reached by phone at 525-8607, via e-mail at
dchang@starbulletin.com, or by fax at 523-7863.