Posted on: Friday, September 17, 2004
Bipartisan panel watches for dirty politics
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
A bipartisan panel has stepped forward to offer its services as a watchdog against dirty and unfair political campaigns this election season.
The brainchild of Sen. Les Ihara, D-9th (Kapahulu, Kaimuki, Palolo), and Rep. Galen Fox, R-234d (Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kaka'ako), the four-member Clean Campaigns Project will review campaign brochures and advertisements brought to their attention and determine whether the messages contain unfair or dirty material.
Ihara and Fox, who won't be part of the group, hand-picked two Democrats and two Republicans to serve.
The Democrats are former City Councilwoman Marilyn Bornhorst, a former Democratic Party chairwoman; and Warren Iwasa, a Democratic Party official and Honolulu Community-Media Council president.
The Republicans are Randy Roth, a University of Hawai'i law professor and former senior adviser to Republican Gov. Linda Lingle; and Kate Zhou, a political-science scholar and Republican convention delegate.
Bornhorst said she would have liked Ihara and Fox to be involved in determining what material to review, but the two founders felt strongly that elected officials should not be part of the process.
The group, which has been together for two to three weeks, is not opposed to hard-hitting campaigns, Roth said, "just that stuff that crosses the line."
Bornhorst said what constitutes an unfair and dirty campaign piece may be hard to define.
She pointed to a press release issued by the project that states "the campaign messages could be those that appear to falsify, distort or misrepresent the facts; or contain personal vilification, character defamation or scurrilous personal attacks."
Bornhorst said no material would be identified unless all four members agree it is dirty or unfair.
Roth said several items have been brought to the project. The four could not find consensus on any of them.
The leaders of both major parties support the project and promised their support.
"We endorse good ethics," said Brickwood Galuteria, chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i. "I think it's a good idea — two Democrats and two Republicans."
Brennon Morioka, chairman of the Hawai'i Republican party, agreed. "They're providing a very good service to the public," he said.
He added: "The only way they'll be effective is if you guys in the media buy into it and view them as impartial and fair, and let the public know their opinion."
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
