Republicans told 'election ours to lose'
By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Capitol Bureau Chief
Nearly 500 Republican delegates cheered their candidates, listened to a videotaped pep talk from President George W. Bush and boogied in front of their chairs to a Gloria Estefan tune yesterday at the Sheraton-Waikiki during the second day of their state convention.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
Naturally, the star of the show was Linda Lingle, the leading GOP candidate for governor. The crowd welcomed her with a chant of "Lin-DA, Lin-DA," savoring the moment as a slow, sign-waving parade of about 200 supporters accompanied her to the front of the Hawaii Ballroom.
"Let's focus on what we agree on," said Republican governor candidate Linda Lingle.
"This election is ours to lose," state Republican Party Chairman Micah Kane told the delegates. "We have the candidates, we have the supporters, we can raise the money."
Republican leaders have said their aim is to win both the governor's office and a majority in the 51-member state House this year.
Lingle told the crowd she has attended GOP conventions for 23 consecutive years, "and this is the best one ever." Although some disagreements are expected over the party platform today, Lingle urged the Republicans to keep it civil.
"People are watching us this weekend," she told the delegates. "They are watching our convention very closely. We are being judged this weekend by Democrats and independents from all across our state, and they're going to be watching tomorrow during our platform discussion."
The public expects disagreements, but voters want to see how the Republicans disagree, she said. "The reason they're watching us so closely is because they're wondering how we treat each other, because they want to know how we will treat people who are not Republicans, which, I hate to let you in on this, but it's probably the majority of the state."
Although the party includes conservatives with deeply held convictions on social issues such as opposition to abortion, Lingle said after her speech she does not expect debate about that subject to cause rifts as the party mulls its platform today.
"I don't think it will be divisive," she said. "My feeling right now is there's going to be a motion to remove (abortion) completely from the platform, and I think that might pass, and I think that would be just great." Lingle has said she favors a woman's right to choose to have an abortion, but opposes so-called "partial-birth" late-term abortions, and favors parental notification when a girl seek an abortion.
Going into the debate today, the GOP state platform recognizes a woman's right to chose abortion in keeping with court rulings, but opposes "partial-birth" abortions.
Lingle said the platform committee has made a deliberate attempt to avoid issues that could cause fractures within the party.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser
"Someone wanted to bring up the assisted-suicide issue and get it in the platform," she said. "I forget on which side they were on, but the feeling was, let's not bring up issues we know we're divided. We know they are strong, emotional issues. Let's focus on what we agree on, and I think that may happen tomorrow on the abortion plank."
GOP candidate Linda Lingle took to the podium amid cheering supporters yesterday at the Hawaii Republican convention at Sheraton Waikiki.
Candidates stressed education and economic development in their remarks to delegates, areas where Republicans said the Democrats failed in the legislative session that wrapped up Thursday.
James "Duke" Aiona, a retired judge and Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, highlighted the teacher's strike and Democratic Gov. Ben Cayetano's ongoing dispute with the teachers over bonuses in the new contract.
"When they enter into a contract with the teachers, they should not spend the rest of their political lives trying to break that contract," Aiona said. "I say for the schools, buy the books and pay the teachers."
"Change is coming people, and oh, it smells so sweet," he said.
Former international TV news anchor Dalton Tanonaka, running for lieutenant governor, pledged to be a voice for small business, and and to push for expansion of the tourism industry into the emerging China market along with the wellness and sports tourism markets.
Former state Rep. Cam Cavasso offered a more socially conservative message on the need for "character." Cavasso is also running for lieutenant governor.
"Without character, our businesses will fail, our marriages will self-destruct, our news media will preach indulgence, and our children will weep in confusion," Cavasso said. "Without character, pedophilia, deception, unfaithfulness and government corruption will become the norm."
Underdog Republican gubernatorial candidate John Carroll, a former state senator, pledged to "emasculate the Department of Education" and return the control of public schools to the local level.
Lingle also pledged to press for local school boards to operate the public school system, and to hold parents "accountable" when their children are disruptive and interfere with the learning of others.
As governor, Lingle said she will put out a call for the best qualified people to fill cabinet positions regardless of their party affiliation, and will demand a statewide financial audit of state government.
"Three hundred special funds, think of that," she told the delegates. "We're the Enron of public finance."
After her speech to delegates, Lingle criticized the Democrats' bill to cap wholesale and retail gasoline prices, saying it "paints a picture of Democrats as being against small business. They just don't care what the impact is on small businesses, or they never would have passed that gas cap."
Lingle said she doesn't know whether Hawai'i consumers are being overcharged, or what should be done about gas prices. "I can tell you one thing, this solution that they have right now is going to end up making gas more expensive. They're tying it to the West Coast, which has no relevance to Hawai'i."
Lingle also criticized the Democrats for "a lack of courage" for failing to make the gas cap bill effective immediately, which she said telegraphs a signal that Democrats lack conviction on the issue, and are unsure of their own proposed solutions. The Republicans have an opportunity to win a majority in the 51-member House, and will be helped by the redrawing of the House and Senate district boundaries in reapportionment because the process created new districts in Republican strongholds, Lingle said. She also said the party has been helped by quality candidates willing to commit to races earlier, and by solid performances by Republicans already in the House.
