Governor says party not hurt by scandals
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Gov. Ben Cayetano said yesterday that the recent indictment of state Rep. Nathan Suzuki and the sentencing of former City Council member Rene Mansho would not taint the campaigns of other Democrats.
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Voters judge candidates on their individual qualifications, Cayetano said.
State Rep. Nathan Suzuki was indicted by a federal grand jury.
"I believe that they look at the individual — that to them character and those kinds of traits are more important — and they are more likely than in other states to look at those kinds of things individually rather than cast a blanket type of blame on a group of people," he said.
"The state is made up of too many different groups which have suffered discrimination themselves, that I think we tend to be more discriminating when it comes to these kinds of things, and assess blame to the individual rather than to groups."
Suzuki, D-31st (Salt Lake, Moanalua), was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on five counts of failing to disclose his interest in foreign bank accounts and filing false income tax returns. His indictment came a day after Mansho was sentenced to a year in jail for misusing campaign contributions and City Council staff.
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Other Democrats sentenced to time behind bars include former House Speaker Danny Kihano, former state Sen. Milton Holt, and former City Councilmember Andy Mirikitani.
Former City Council member Rene Mansho was sentenced to one year in prison.
Republicans have said Democrats' recent legal troubles show the party is out of touch.
But Cayetano noted yesterday that the only vice president to be convicted of a felony was Spiro Agnew, a Republican who resigned from office in 1973 and pleaded no contest to tax evasion.
"Neither party has any monopoly on morality or good behavior or, for that matter, not getting in trouble," he said. "People are people. There are more Democrats than Republicans."
University of Hawai'i political science professor Neal Milner said the recent legal troubles of certain Democrats give Republicans "an additional weapon" in the campaign.
"Legislative contests are individual cases, but it certainly is an issue that the opposition can raise," Milner said. "And at the gubernatorial level, if I were running as a Republican, I would certainly talk about these things.
"I think the combination of a strong opposition and an election that has some possibility of bringing people in because it could be close, this just adds. It's like frosting on the cake."
