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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Saturday, November 8, 2008

Bidding farewell to 2008 election

By David Shapiro

The election isn't officially over until we snicker at the results "flASHback" style:

• Hawai'i-born Barack Obama's victory was an historic first. He'll be the first guy in the White House ever to know what the heck a Buffanblu is.

Michelle Wie must be relieved she's no longer the most over-analyzed Punahou kid.

• Obama immediately began intelligence briefings with the Bush administration. Nice of him to try, but it's probably too late to give them any.

• The bad economy will force Obama to meet his promise for expanded healthcare piecemeal instead of all at once. He'll deal with our hemorrhoids now and worry about the clogged arteries later.

• Obama is coming to Hawai'i next month for some sun and fun as he prepares for the presidency. The surf gods sure steered him right when he came in December '06 to decide whether to run.

• Gov. Linda Lingle said Hawai'i residents who favored Obama 3 to 1 were proud of her for spending weeks on the Mainland stumping for John McCain. She must have heatstroke from basking too long in Sarah Palin's glow.

• Freshly re-elected, Mayor Mufi Hannemann was still attacking his opponents from the last two elections, Ann Kobayashi and Duke Bainum. You'd think a Harvard grad would be smart enough to know you can't keep your eye to the future from your backside.

• Sen. Daniel Inouye wondered if Hannemann's sights for 2010 are set on Washington, D.C., or Washington Place.

If he re-routes the train to the airport, we'll have a clue.

• Voters were against a ConCon 2 to 1. It was neck-and-neck until the "pro" people ran an ad with my picture in it. I warned you, Peter Carlisle.

• Voters squashed a constitutional amendment to lower the minimum age for governor from 30 to 25. I feel bad for the poor parents who lost a way to get their kid to move out.

• Local Democrats boosted their majority over the GOP in the Legislature to 23-2 in the Senate and 45-6 in the House. The HGEA will need extra field staff to tell them all how to vote.

• Officials are worried about coqui frogs found in my Kailua neighborhood. I knew it was too much to hope the screeching would end after the election.

And the quote of the week ... from Gov. Lingle on Obama being elected over her opposition: "Sen. Obama is not going to punish the people of Hawai'i because I supported Sen. McCain."

Not the people, but he'll find lots of fun ways to punish her.

Reach David Shapiro at dave@volcanicash.net.