The 1998 race for governor ended almost 2 1/2 years ago, but Republican Linda Lingle and Democratic Gov. Ben Cayetano are still ready to mix it up. Lingle, Cayetano lob
barbs at each otherThe 2 party leaders engage
in a bout of verbal sparring
By Richard Borreca
Star-BulletinLast weekend, at the GOP state convention, Lingle said she was shocked at the harsh nature of the Democrats' attacks, citing a television commercial by U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye as the "crowning blow."
In the commercial, Inouye said: "I would prefer to have a governor who's had a family, who has had to struggle, who knows what tough times are, missing a meal or so.
"That's the kind of man I want leading us here. Ben's my man."
Lingle said that was an attack on single people, especially single women, and asked if she should marry "and produce children" in order to be qualified to be governor.
Yesterday, Cayetano said Lingle should apologize to Inouye.
"I thought it was an exaggeration and cheap shot for Ms. Lingle to cast aspersions on Sen. Inouye and Sen. Inouye's commercial," Cayetano said.
"As I recall it, in no way did it say (voters) should vote for me because I had a family and Linda Lingle doesn't.
"Ms. Lingle has a bad habit of stretching the facts," Cayetano said.
Lingle shot back: "Who else did he (Cayetano) think he was running against?
"He is probably reacting because it is so true. It reflects negatively on him and the party and is stooping to a new low.
"Many single people are important contributors to the community," Lingle said.
Both Cayetano and Lingle are divorced, but Cayetano remarried in May 1997.
Cayetano also said that the recent legislation passed to reform the public worker health fund and the civil service laws happened because of a "Democratic Legislature and Democratic governor."
Cayetano speculated that had Lingle been governor, "there would have been a bloodbath."
Lingle responded yesterday: "The governor had 6 1/2 years to do it, and he failed. He couldn't do it until we put more Republicans in the House."