State GOP gains power

Democrats still hold all of the top jobs in the state House, but their control over the House political agenda has slipped.

That is a dangerous shortcoming that could cost the ruling Democrats — in control of politics in Hawai‘i for more than 40 years — more House seats in the critical 2002 elections, some current and former lawmakers say.

As the halfway point of the legislative session approaches, the 19-member Republican minority is relentlessly forcing the 32 Democrats into one politically uncomfortable House floor vote after another.

The pattern is already familiar: The GOP members propose major changes in the tax structure or the public school system or the structure of government in Hawai‘i, and the Democrats reject them. Many of the votes fall along strict party lines.

Some Democrats have accused the GOP of cynical political maneuvering, forcing floor votes they know they will lose merely to load up on fodder for campaign "hit pieces" that will be mailed to voters next year.

Republicans would much rather see their bills pass, said Minority Floor Leader David Pendleton, R-50th (Maunawili, EnchantedLake). But, he said, the House voting records will be featured in 2002 campaign literature, which is fair game.

Whatever the motivation, Republicans and Democrats agree the hours of debate and floor votes are changing the way the House does business.

With their 19 votes, Republicans now have two ways to force all 51 House members to go on record with roll-call votes on any issue. The Republicans can propose amendments on the floor to rewrite bills in any way they choose, or can pull bills from committee if the Democratic chairmen attempt to kill them.

In years past, particularly controversial or divisive issues were often decided in committee hearings, which meant only a small fraction of House members ever voted on those issues. Therefore, most Democratic incumbents didn’t have controversial voting records that challengers could use during election campaigns.

But those days are gone.

House Republicans this year forced floor votes on proposals to eliminate the 4 percent excise tax on food, medical services and rent, and to carve up the public school system into eight smaller districts overseen by regional boards.

The GOP forced other votes on raising the age of consent and banning campaign contributions by businesses that do business with the state or county.

Rep. Ed Case, a dissident Democrat who has voted with the Republicans on some issues, said the GOP carefully picked its fights. The floor votes focus on issues where the Democrats haven’t done enough to address issues that are troubling "mainstream" voters, said Case, D-23rd (Manoa).

The Democrats complain the GOP proposals are unrealistic or flawed, and most didn’t go through the normal committee hearings that would give the public a chance to comment on them.

Democratic Majority Leader Marcus Oshiro pointed out the Republicans have failed to convince more than a handful of Democrats to break ranks. "On the arguments themselves, they’ve been unable to win over other members to their position," he said.

But the supposed flaws in the Republican proposals, and the Democrats’ votes against them, may be tough to explain to constituents in the heat of a campaign.

Kenny Goodenow, a two-term Democrat who was voted out of the House last year, said his former colleagues are taking a beating.

Goodenow watched late-night House floor debate Tuesday from the koa benches in the House gallery as Case and the Republicans forced a roll-call vote on an amendment to grant an extra $50 million in income tax cuts this year. Those tax cuts aren’t scheduled to take effect until next year.

The number of House Republicans grew from seven in 1996 to 19 today, and Democrats said the 2000 Republican campaigns were the most sophisticated and well-financed yet.

Last year, the GOP fired off well-produced campaign fliers criticizing the voting records of incumbent Democrats in the last few days of the campaign. They had glossy paper, slick language, with "that strong emotional touch," and there was no time to respond to them, Oshiro said.

Case said the problem lies more with the Democrats than the Republicans and their campaign literature.

"For whatever reason, Democrats in the Legislature have not kept pace with change in Hawai‘i. They’re just lagging behind," Case said.

Case has argued for years that the center in Hawai‘i politics has shifted. He said a bare 25 percent of the voters today are committed Democrats who will almost always vote along party lines, and another 15 to 20 percent are similarly drawn to the Republicans.

The rest are comfortable voting for either party or a third party, and Case believes that middle swing group has rapidly expanded over the past two years.

He said his fellow Democrats have a choice: "Retrench" on the left with proven support groups such as unions, or move to the political middle. "There are just too many of us who are still uncomfortable taking that risk, but to me it’s just an absolutely unavoidable journey," he said.

Don Clegg, a longtime Hawai‘i political pollster, said the state Legislature has a terrible image problem, with less than 20 percent of those polled saying they believe lawmakers are doing an "acceptable" job.

People generally have a higher opinion of their own senators and representatives than of the Legislature as a whole, but Clegg said that is still the lowest approval rating of the institution he has ever seen.

Clegg said the Republicans are using the floor feuding to paint themselves as the party of open government, and are painting the Democrats as "backroom dealers."

Republicans said they have also forced House Democrats this year to advance bills that otherwise probably would have failed.

GOP members said their floor challenges in effect embarrassed the Democrats into moving bills to reform campaign financing, to reduce the impact of the 4 percent excise tax on food, and raise the age of sexual consent for teenagers.

Oshiro and other Democrats denied this.

The Republicans also used their votes to kill $20 million in special purpose revenue bonds in a deliberate exhibition of their political muscle. The bonds were intended to help the high-tech firm Science Technology International finance new facilities on Kaua‘i and in Kaka‘ako.

Pendleton said Republicans had some concerns about the bonds, but the GOP members were also making a point.

"We want to send a message that people who want these kinds of special purpose revenue bonds need to approach both sides, need to approach both caucuses. You need to make an appointment with us, make the presentation, allow us to hear the merits.

"Don’t just go to one side and have one side grease the skids and say done deal, business is done."

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