Posted on: Sunday, September 8, 2002

EDITORIAL
On behalf of the voters, bring on the debates

A month or so ago, political junkies — ourselves included — were whining that the platforms of Democratic gubernatorial candidates, businessman Andy Anderson, state Rep. Ed Case and Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, all blurred together.

The candidates' public show of civility was intended to convey Democratic Party solidarity. But the strategy didn't exactly throw the three into sharp relief.

Thursday's first televised gubernatorial debate on KHON-TV changed that. Off came the congenial veneer and out came the ammunition that spices up elections and engages the voters.

While Hirono, for the most part, avoided sparring, Anderson and Case, who lag far behind Hirono in recent polls, delivered and took some sharp punches.

In a nutshell, Anderson, who has twice run unsuccessfully for governor as a Republican, said the economy and government are in a mess and blames Democrats like Hirono and Case for being part of the problem.

Case, who doesn't always see eye to eye with fellow Democrats in the Legislature, touted himself as the only true agent of change. He said the system is broken and his reforms will fix it.

And Hirono suggested the system needs some tweaking but doesn't advocate wholesale reforms.

We heard a lot about their credentials and less about specific solutions to problems. But at least the candidates are becoming more three-dimensional.

In that spirit, we look forward to further debates where candidates have to field pointed questions. That's how you determine if a politician can think on his or her feet.

That said, it's a pity that we haven't seen Republican front-runner Linda Lingle meet her opponent, John Carroll, for a debate. No matter where they stand in the polls, the candidates need to show us they're up for the challenge. If they don't do combat, they don't earn their stripes.