Hawai'i has a leadership crisis, one that looms ominously over the current electoral landscape but extends far beyond that.

Neither the dominant Democratic Party nor the eternally struggling Republican Party of Hawai'i has been in particularly good shape fielding candidates in recent years. Incumbents often run unopposed. The lackluster field of political contenders inspires nothing but a shrug from voters, whose disinterest becomes evident at the polls: Hawai'i has among the lowest voter turnouts in the nation.

All of this points to an ailing democracy, hardly a fertile field to grow the promising leaders of tomorrow.

The situation is particularly dire for the GOP. On the occasion of the just-finished Republican state convention, Advertiser writer Derrick DePledge outlined the picture of a party at risk of being pushed even further toward the margins. There are the exceptions — Andy Smith, one of the governor's Big Island liaisons is lined up for a state House campaign — but in general the party faces an uphill battle even to maintain the seats it now holds in the state Capitol.

Gov. Linda Lingle became the first Republican chief of state in decades and easily won re-election. But she missed a prime opportunity early on to develop political coattails on which other Republicans might ride to office.

Belatedly, she and other party leaders are now planning a "leadership academy" that would help groom future GOP candidates.

That should have happened years ago, but it's certainly needed now. The Bush administration has plummeted in popularity ratings and nationally Republicans have taken a hit. Locally, the GOP here must act to offset the decline; it won't help in the upcoming elections, but a long-term rebuilding strategy is essential.

On the other side of the aisle, the Democrats have been handed a gift from the candidacy of Barack Obama, as thousands of new, young voters flocked to the state caucuses to cast their votes.

Many of them will be attending the Democratic Party state convention this weekend. Party leaders must not squander that fresh infusion.

Too often, the Democrats lay out the welcome mat but then slam the door on members who present ideas that challenge the conventional wisdom. Among those most famously slapped for failing to toe the party line is Ed Case, who gave up his U.S. House seat to run in the primary against Sen. Daniel Akaka. That certainly defied the party's pecking order, and he's still on the outs. Others who swam upstream have been washed away, too.

People are ready for change.

This state needs a vibrant two-party system, not the current, jaded model in which the majority too often gives a cold shoulder to new ideas and the minority has failed to put up much of a fight.

Unless each party finds a way to grow its own next generation of leaders, Hawai'i will be rudderless and drift toward its future rather than charting a clear and sensible course.