Intriguing void faces Democrats
By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor
No doubt more than a few people were taken aback on Tuesday when gruff, unsentimental Gov. Ben Cayetano got all choked up during his State of the State speech as he remembered a conversation years ago with the late Gov. John Burns.
What got our governor in a misty mood was his recounting of Burns' explanation of why he had appointed Cayetano — at that point not long out of law school and uninvolved in politics — to a state commission.
"Well, Ben, there aren't too many young Filipinos from Kalihi who become lawyers," Cayetano remembered Burns saying.
"He did not have to explain," Cayetano recalled. "I understood what he meant and what he stood for."
That experience was not unique to Cayetano. Burns had a habit of reaching deep into the community to tap potential "comers" in the Democratic Party for service. Not all became governors, of course, but many of those unknowns went on to become names in politics and public service.
The anecdote tells a lot about how the Democratic Party has maintained its hold in Hawai'i. Through patronage, praise and opportunity, it constantly renews itself by tapping outsiders.
The political question for 2002, however, is whether the party will be able to keep that act together. There is no one on the stage for governor at this point who comes from that long, successful tradition.
Mazie Hirono did, but she's not running for governor.
Jeremy Harris has been, by all accounts, the insiders' favorite. He has received kind words from Cayetano and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye. But one senses this comes from the fact that he has been the front-runner more than anything else.
After all, Harris did not come up through the ranks like Cayetano and so many others who have made their mark. Rather, Harris came in sideways, as a newcomer Neighbor Islander who moved to center stage through the good offices of former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi. Fasi, by definition, is anything but a party insider.
Democratic state Rep. Ed Case also is outside the established political tradition and, in fact, has made that point a centerpiece of his campaign.
In some ways, it is possible to argue that former Republican D. G. "Andy" Anderson is closer to that Democratic tradition than any of the others. During his years in the Legislature, he worked closely with Democrats and even engaged in bipartisan power-sharing when GOP votes were needed to help organize.
Anderson also ran for mayor, against Fasi, with the tacit backing of the Democratic establishment.
But you can't get away from the fact that Anderson was for years Mr. Republican, running for governor himself and managing the campaign of GOP candidate Pat Saiki at other times.
In Hawai'i, these things are never handled overtly or bluntly. Rather, they are signaled with exquisite obliqueness.
So watch for subtle signs from the powers that be. They will tell you who this venerable political establishment has selected as its standard bearer in 2002.
Reach Jerry Burris through letters@honoluluadvertiser.com.
