Commentary
Case relishes battle with 'Goliath' for governor

By Bob Dye
Kailua-based historian and writer

Ed Case, a politician who is nearly 50, should know better.

Rep. Ed Case says he believes many voters already recognize that he is the best candidate, and enough others will come to that conclusion by the time they step into the voting booth next year. Advertiser library photo • March 17, 1997

I click on it.

"This election is a chance for us all to stand up and say that old-style politics and government have no place in tomorrow's Hawai'i, that everyone must have an equal place at the table for us to finally get the job done."

His e-mail further states: "I believe I have the background, experience, philosophy, commitment, temperament and character to fulfill these expectations of Hawai'i's next governor."

No blaring trumpets and rolling drums preceded this electronic message.There were no 'ukulele in the background when the kama'aina legislator invoked the Hawaiian way. "My administration will live the Hawaiian concept of kina'ole: doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons, all the time."

Finally, without broad smile, firm handshake or even a shaka sign, the e-mail concludes: "For further information on Ed Case and his candidacy, please visit the campaign Web site at www.edcase.com."

E-mail is nice, but there's no sforzando for emphasis. Depending solely on the inner voice of an ordinary reader, it's far too sotto voce for a man who would lead this great state out of the mess it's in. In short, as a medium for an announcement of political import, it sucks.

Ed Case agrees to explain his technological behavior over lunch at Suehiro restaurant on South King Street. "Plenty parking. Nice local place," he promises.

He is wearing an aloha shirt, tucked in lawyer-style. He orders a big tray containing a variety of delicacies.

"I'm an underdog," he begins, qualifying himself for the understatement of the year award. In short order, he freely admits his campaign has no steering committee, no grass roots organization, no war chest. His name recognition now hovers at just over 10 percent, he says with a confident smile.

"I wish I could walk every district," he tells me. "But it takes me two months just to walk my own Manoa district. I won't have time to meet all the voters in the state." But there's hope. "Through public service, I've made a lot of friends. And after four generations, I have a lot of relatives on all of the islands."

One of those relatives is cousin Steve Case, the telecommunications mogul, who recently purchased Grove Farm and other lands on Kaua'i. (Aha, that's why Ed announced on aol.com.) Ed hasn't discussed his candidacy with Steve, nor has he hit him up for a campaign donation. "He hasn't offered," confesses Ed.

Why, I don't know. But undaunted and unblinkingly, Ed says he is ready to go toe to toe with the Jeremy Harris juggernaut in the 2002 Democratic primary election. Playing David against Goliath seems to tickle him.

"I won't be able to raise the $4 million Harris can raise," he says matter-of-factly, as if it didn't really matter.

The GOP's Linda Lingle will try to raise as much, I add softly.

To that, he responds that Jesse Ventura extensively used the internet in his successful campaign for governor of Minnesota. If Case's Web site had been printed as a brochure, it would have cost $300,000, he figures. With that kind of math, he'll be able to "outspend" all comers.

Case appears serenely unconcerned about raising hard dollars early. His pluses are more than theirs, he claims, and his minuses fewer. He says many voters already recognize that he is the best candidate, and enough others will come to that conclusion by the time they step into the voting booth. He says he knows the magic will work, and is confident he will carry the day.

But it's not only Mayor Harris whom he has to vanquish in the primary. As of this writing, also in the race are Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono and veteran gubernatorial campaigner D.G. "Andy" Anderson, though his candidacy is not yet officially announced.

And perhaps there will be other big names. Such is the desperation of some old Democrats to find someone who can beat Harris that former Gov. John Waihee may be prompted to run. And a rumor is current that Gen. Eric Shinseki, the Kaua'i-born Army chief of Staff, has been asked to consider such a race. The good ol' boys, obviously, don't think outsider Ed Case can do the job.

But Case does claim some strong ties to party stalwarts. He counts the late Sen. Spark Matsunaga and Chief Justice William Richardson as mentors.

"I've loved politics since I was a small boy in Hilo," he recalls.

Case vows that his administration will be scandal-free. When people say they want an end to machine politics, he says, they're really expressing how excluded they feel from their own government. His days working in Washington, D.C., were "rewarding."

"Hawai'i's next governor must provide honest leadership for all in a time of unavoidable change," Case says. "We face extraordinary challenges, which we can overcome only if our government is truly committed to end business as usual, preserve what works and change what doesn't."

He tells me, in a sincere voice, "I am an agent of change." To re-enforce that message, his Web site quotes Mahatma Gandhi: "If you want change, you must be the change." Gandhi also reportedly said, when asked about Western civilization, "I think it would be a good idea."

Case is a very thoughtful man, and he thought about running for a higher office for a long time. He considered lieutenant governor and Congress, but ultimately settled on governor. He is comfortable with himself, he claims, and his decision. "I am a clear alternative to the other candidates."

That he most certainly is.

"Our job over the next year is to reach out personally to provide that choice," he says with determination. "And we have enough time and resources to do just that."