CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARBULLETIN.COM U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye addressed the media yesterday after a conference with Hawaii's top Democrats at Neil Abercrombie's campaign headquarters. Joining Inouye, in white suit, were, from left, Gov. Ben Cayetano, Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono and gubernatorial candidate Ed Case.

Inouye tries to
rally the troops

The political veteran says isle
Democrats are not responsible
for recent ethics scandals

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By Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com

U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye says Democrats are suffering from a public relations problem, partially brought on by recent scandals, arrests and convictions of Democrats in city and state positions.

"Our message has not been conveyed accurately and appropriately as a result of the negative things that have come out," Inouye said after holding a conference yesterday with the top brass in Hawaii's Democratic Party to map out strategy for the fall campaign.

Inouye, who has been an elected congressman and senator from Hawaii since 1959, led the meeting at U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie's Kapiolani Boulevard campaign headquarters.

After the two-hour meeting that included key legislative leaders, Mayor Jeremy Harris and Democratic Party officials, Inouye said, "Getting the message out is a problem, and right now we don't have the money to get on television."

According to other Democratic leaders at the meeting, there was also concern about the voting public's acceptance of the Democrats. A private opinion survey discussed at the meeting showed that nearly half of the state's voters considered themselves Republican or said they were leaning Republican. Only a third of the voters said they were Democrats or leaning Democrat.

Party loyalty, however, was not solid, as the poll discussed yesterday reported that about a third of those who said they were Republican might vote for a Democrat, and more than 40 percent of the Democrats might vote for a Republican.

The poll shows a much larger number of voters considering the GOP than in past surveys.

Democrats said there is concern that voters are blaming Democrats for ethical violations in local politics.

Inouye said Democrats are not responsible for the ethics problems.

"All of us here are against corruption. All of us here won't condone crime, and one can say that over the years, the Democrats have been the anti-crime party," Inouye said.

Sen. Cal Kawamoto said after the meeting that he was inspired to work harder for the Democrats.

"Everyone in the room -- the leaders in the House and Senate and all the candidates -- have a stake in this election, so I'm going to get involved," Kawamoto said. "We have to tell the good things about Democrats in Hawaii, so I am a little encouraged, and we will all do our part."

One thing that heartened the Democratic leader was that the candidates for governor agreed to campaign fairly and to support the primary election winner.

Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono and Rep. Ed Case attended the meeting. The third major candidate, D.G. "Andy" Anderson, was delayed in traffic but did attend a campaign lunch with Inouye.

After the meeting, Inouye used the time with the media to get in a campaign lick against Linda Lingle, the GOP gubernatorial front-runner. He said after watching Lingle's commercial and listening to her decry "political patronage," he was struck with a question.

"Isn't it patronage if you hire your husband?" Inouye asked.

"Isn't that the height of patronage?" Inouye said, referring to a legal case handled for Maui County by Lingle's former husband, William Crockett, when Lingle was mayor of Maui.

Lingle declined to comment, but Lloyd Yonenaka, campaign spokesman said the "issue is probably more than eight years old, and the County Council was aware of the hiring, which was done openly.

"Bringing it up now shows they have nothing to talk about except ancient, worn-out issues," Yonenaka said.

Lingle had hired Crockett and several other lawyers to defend the administration in a wrongful-firing case filed in 1992.

The Council questioned her right to hire private attorneys by filing a lawsuit, and in 1996 the state Supreme Court said Lingle did not have the right to hire private attorneys because that power belonged to the Council.