After six years of empty pledges, this year Gov. Linda Lingle and the Legislature's Democratic leaders are saying they will cooperate, really cooperate.

Really.

The reason why is not a grand gesture or a sudden winter rush of affection, it is that Hawaii's budget is so off track and bleeding red ink that it can only be righted if both sides agree to cut out the gamesmanship.

That is a difficult order. There is a certain part of every politician that measures him or herself by how well they bested all the other politicians.

Still, this year, the leaders say things are different.

Lingle, for instance, started off a speech to the Small Business Hawaii annual meeting by pledging cooperation.

“;You are going to see a level of collaboration that has been absent in past legislative sessions. Legislative leaders and I are committed to this,”; Lingle said.

Lingle, who won and who remains in office as a Republican in the nation's strongest Democratic state by the sheer force of her personal leadership, acknowledges that “;this collaboration isn't easy, we have some clear difference of opinion between myself and the Legislature and between the political parties.”;

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, one of the state's Democratic leaders, agrees, saying there is a “;healthy skepticism”; between the governor and the Legislature.

Hanabusa says part of this is because Lingle has been disdainful of the Legislature.

“;I think the sense was the governor did her own thing and would let us know after the fact,”; Hanabusa said.

Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, who has always been a strong and effective opponent to Lingle in the Legislature, says this time both sides have been shocked into cooperation by the economic downturn.

Kim, Senate Ways and Means chairwoman, pointed to a series of private meetings she and other Democratic leaders have had with Lingle to be briefed on the administration's budget plans and worries.

“;The administration has changed,”; Kim says.

Another resolute administration critic, Rep. Marcus Oshiro, chairman of the House Finance Committee, reports that, “;I think she truly realizes she has to work with us. The realities that we face, we will not be able to address unless we do them together.”;

House Speaker Calvin Say also reports he feels Lingle is going out of her way to include the legislators in her budget planning. It will now be up to the Legislature's Democrats to see how far they will go in including Lingle in the budget plans.

All realize that as Lingle said last week, “;The quickness with which we emerge from this downturn will be determined by how well we work together during these early months.”;