Posted on: Sunday, November 21, 2004

JERRY BURRIS

By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor

So, U.S. Rep. Ed Case reports to Advertiser Washington Bureau reporter Frank Oliveri that if he has any political ambitions at all beyond his present job, it is for the U.S. Senate.

Who doesn't?

The Senate, by and large, is the Holy Grail of politics. Unlike, say, governor, where one digs daily through piles of tedious paperwork, a senator is free to think big thoughts and achieve big deeds.

And the gig is way better than being a member of the U.S. House, where all but a few labor in relative anonym-ity. In Hawai'i, we tend to treat our representatives as quasi-senators, since we have but two and their work makes news.

But elsewhere, a member of Congress is likely to be not much better known than the local tax assessor.

Still, Case, a Democrat, tells Oliveri that he is happy in his job and is interested in working his way up the seniority ladder to a place where he can be a player on larger national issues.

The real news of Case's declaration that he likes Capitol Hill is that it takes him out of play, by and large, in the next governor's race.

Conventional wisdom says the next gubernatorial election is Republican incumbent Linda Lingle's to lose. Her approval ratings are excellent, and her administration is getting stronger day by day.

By contrast, who is out there for the Democrats? If Case is sincerely out of the hunt, the banner falls first to Mazie Hirono, the former lieutenant governor, who conducted a strong campaign against Lingle two years ago.

But Hirono has been quiet lately. And Democrats might be reluctant to put all their marbles on a re-run of something that did not work last time around.

The usual breeding ground of potential Democratic candidates is the state Senate, which is awash in ambition and dreams of glory. Potential candidates there include Senate President Bobby Bunda and Sen. Colleen Hanabusa.

Their problem is name recognition and the ability to raise the kind of money it takes to be elected governor.

Outside of elective politics, there is talk about Schools Superintendent Pat Hama-moto, who gave a killer speech at the Legislature last year, or someone like Mike McCartney, now president and CEO of Hawai'i Public Television. McCartney has impeccable political credentials and has the ability to bridge the old and the new within the Democratic Party.

In the background, there is bank executive Walter Dods, a behind-the-scenes kingmaker in politics for years and who nearly made the run two years ago. Dods, who is stepping back from most of his bank duties, is clearly too young and too engaged to simply sit back and enjoy the sunsets from his lanai.

The problem for the Democrats is that the political landscape has changed around here. It is no longer good enough to anoint or appoint a candidate and expect a victory.

Whoever takes on Lingle will have to re-invent the game — from scratch.

Jerry Burris is The Advertiser's editorial page editor.