Posted on: Friday, October 22, 2004
EDITORIAL
Advertiser endorses Case, Abercrombie
In a time of war abroad, terror threats at home and continuing economic uncertainty, it is crucial that Hawai'i have strong and effective representation in the U.S. Congress.
Abercrombie is seeking his eighth term in the House, and Case is seeking re-election to his second full term (for seniority purposes, he will be treated as having a few months of a third term for the time he served as a replacement for the late Patsy Mink).
Case and Abercrombie, who both came to Congress with substantial experience at the local political level, have worked well together on behalf of Hawai'i.
The two Democrats have their differences, politically. For instance, Abercrombie, D-1st Dist. (Urban Honolulu) was a strong backer of liberal Howard Dean early in the presidential season while Case, D-2nd Dist. (Rural O'ahu, Neighbor Islands) backed conservative Democrat Joe Lieberman.
But on most issues that matter to Hawai'i, including defense spending, healthcare and encouraging the agriculture and tourism industries, they have been effective within the House and in working with the senatorial delegation of Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka.
Here is a list of the Advertiser's endorsements thus far:
President and Vice President: John Kerry and John Edwards United States Senate: Dan Inouye United States House of Representatives: Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case Honolulu mayor: Mufi Hannemann Board of Education
Big Island: Herbert Watanabe Kaua'i: Maggie Cox Honolulu: Denise Matsumoto Leeward O'ahu: Breene Harimoto O'ahu at Large: Garrett Toguchi, Robert Midkiff and Guy Kaulukukui Since then, he has been working hard to make sure the proper job-training and education programs are in place so that local workers will capture the jobs created by the military housing program.
Case, a fiscal conservative, has worked particularly hard on issues such as agricultural and rural development that are important to his home district. He has also been remarkably vigorous about staying in touch with his constituents, staging multiple home visits and talk-story sessions around the Neighbor Islands and on O'ahu.
While people often seek to attach political tags to politicians, the realities for these two congressman are far too complex for simplistic labels.
For instance, Abercrombie, the "liberal" who opposed the war in Vietnam and today opposes our involvement in Iraq, is a strong supporter and advocate for America's armed forces.
Case, the "conservative" Democrat, has a consistent and positive record as a moderate progressive on social issues.
Together, they make a good team and deserve your vote for re-election.
To that end, The Advertiser endorses Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case for re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Neil Abercrombie
Ed Case
Abercrombie, who has established significant seniority on the House Armed Services Committee, was a leader in bringing a massive public-private military housing program to the Islands that will pump as much as $3 billion into the economy over the next few decades.
The Advertiser endorsements
