Challenges await 'new Democrats'
By Lynda Arakawa and Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Call them the frustrated young Democrats.
More than a dozen so-called "new Democrats" in the House are struggling with their identity — trying to retain traditional liberal values while dragging a resistant Democratic old guard into a new era.
They seek to take advantage of their youth and position themselves as agents of change, but find they are eclipsed by Gov. Linda Lingle, architect of "a new beginning." The popular Republican governor's stated goal in the 2004 election is to win a GOP majority in the House.
How these young representatives deal with their challenges could define the types of bills that will have a chance of passing next session in a Legislature still dominated by Democrats, who control 36 of the House's 51 seats and 20 of the Senate's 25 positions.
The outcome could mean a tough time during the 2004 mid-term election, when Lingle and other Republicans hope to wrest away leadership of the House.
In an attempt to blunt criticism by Lingle and the Republicans who portray Democrats as the "old boys" who are out of touch with today's constituents, the young Democrats are often cited by their party as its new wing.
They include a House leadership that features vice speaker Sylvia Luke, House Majority Leader Scott Saiki, and majority whip Brian Schatz, who are all in their 30s. They are joined by about a dozen other House members, most of them in their 20s and 30s, who they say generally share the same philosophies about an open process.
But House Minority Leader Galen Fox, R-23rd (Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kaka'ako), scoffs at the notion that a new generation of Democrats are leading the House.
Fox said that House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Palolo, Wilhelmina Rise), has been in office since 1976, longer than any other member of the Legislature, and has been the undisputed head of a leadership that has nourished its newer members with the same way of doing things.
"I really respect him and like him personally, but he's a representative of the old order," Fox said, that champions only gradual change. "You provide a slight adjustment to the way things are done and you label it reform. That's why I've been talking about fake reform. They'll package one fake reform measure after another and talk to people as if it represents a real change to the way things are done."
Democratic Party Chairman Alex Santiago disagreed, pointing to the young House Democrats' leadership on campaign spending reform and the fight to retain Act 221 high-tech tax credits as examples of how they have blazed their own path.
"They are very bright, and they have shown themselves to be extremely competent. And I have a lot of respect and hope that they'll continue on, showing true leadership," Santiago said.
But what Santiago views as leadership, his GOP counterpart interprets as something else.
"I think they're part of the obstructionist view that is opposing Gov. Lingle's agenda," said Brennon Morioka, chairman of the Hawai'i Republican Party. "That's what the people voted for. They voted for her because they liked her agenda, they felt most comfortable with her agenda and that her agenda was going to provide us with the best future. These are the primary people who are fighting it."
But this group also faces resistance from some in its own party. "They're not only fighting Republicans, but fighting part of their own grouping," said Ira Rohter, University of Hawai'i political science professor. "It's a two-front war, man. It's an awkward one."
Perhaps the most prominent example is campaign finance reform, which has become a pressing issue after scandals involving Democratic politicians.
The House Democrats, led by the youth movement, pushed to ban political contributions from government contractors, unions and corporations as well as public financing of campaigns. But disagreements with the Senate led by older Democrats such as Cal Kawamoto, D-18th (Waipahu, Crestview, Pearl City), ultimately killed those measures.
Schatz said the public still leans heavily toward Democratic values and policies but that they want Democrats to "embrace new ways of implementing those policies."
"I think that there is some resistance to change, but it's healthy," said Schatz, D-25th (Makiki, Tantalus). "It's perfectly appropriate for political veterans to resist where they think it's appropriate. I think this is a normal dynamic and one that shows a healthy political rebirth. I think any organization needs new members and needs an infusion of new ideas and that's exactly what's happening."
But the House Democrats' ability to get their message to the public falls short of the media attention Lingle receives. And they know it.
Monday, when Lingle signed a bill establishing a strike force team for crystal methamphetamine, House members from the majority party not only crashed the bill-signing but had decided to hold a press conference trumpeting the same measure hours earlier.
Saiki said the bill was sponsored by Democrats and that Lingle had little to do with it. "That was a part of our Democratic majority package," Saiki said.
Neal Milner, University of Hawai'i political science professor, said making sure the public knows Democratic lawmakers had a hand in the bills the Republican governor is signing has its challenges.
"It's hard to do because nobody cares," he said. "The people pay attention to the governor, to the final analysis of the bill, but it's very hard to get folks to pay attention to how the bill got there in the first place, especially after the legislative sessions are done.
"So somehow as a campaign strategy, you have to figure out how to do that in a way that doesn't seem whiny."
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com and Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com. Or reach either at 525-8070.
