By Dan Douglass
The Hawaii Republican Party held a “Victory 2008″ recap at headquarters Wednesday night with a handful of executive committee members, state committee members, elected representatives and challengers (all challengers lost). Neighbor island members and campaigners engaged via conference call. Representatives Corrine Ching, Kymberly Pine, Gene Ward and Barbara Marumoto who maintained their seats were present as was Colleen Meyer who lost her seat. Rep. Lynn Finnegan who ran unopposed was present. Rep. Cynthia Thielen was not present. Neither any State Senators, the Governor nor Lt. Governor were present. Former Representative Anne Stevens who was unsuccessful in her bid to reclaim her seat was present while former Representative Quinten Kawananakoa was not.
Besides the need to ‘Get Out the Vote’ and start campaigns earlier, Party Chair Willes Lee and Executive Director Adam Deguire, in my opinion, addressed nothing of party rebuilding substance that can be summed up in- let’s hope there’s no future ObamaWave.
Three questions were asked and moderated by Lester Morioka (a kind demeanored gentleman whom any upset attendees may have been less prone to tear into): what the party did right, what the party did wrong and what should the party do now.
Rep. Ching, pressed for time, addressed the need for early candidate recruitment.
What did the party do right?
A couple of websites and consultants helping out a handful of races, some party dollars spread around and negative campaigning was the consensus on what the party did right. On negative campaigning there was disagreement and a poll was taken. Those in headquarters voted overwhelmingly that the negative campaigning was helpful with only four dissenting votes (I dissented). On the neighbor island the majority consensus was opposed to negative campaigning. Rep. Ward noted that the manner in which the negative campaigning is carried out can be more damaging for the candidates.
There was much discussion on what the party did wrong and what it should do now.
I’m going to cut to the heart of the matter: unless Governor Lingle’s self-serving suffocation over the local party’s true and diverse identity is overcome by concessions all the discussion is moot. It would otherwise be more practical and effective for libertarians, moderates and even social conservatives (of all things) to en masse leave the HRP and get active in the Democratic Party of Hawaii to work with open-minded democrats for market oriented reform on the issues that effect Hawaii the most.
The following were the points I made in the meeting as HD31 chair.
What did the GOP do wrong this past election?
The Party did not have an overarching and unified message that candidates could refer to as Republican candidates. No brand.
What should the Hawaii GOP do now?
82,000. 82,000 registered Hawaii voters turned out for Republican congressional districts 1 and 2 candidates Steve Tataii and Evan B. Rogers. Hardly anyone in the meeting had ever met either of these candidates. These 82,000 represent those in Hawaii that believe the most in the “R” next to a candidate’s name whoever they are. These 82,000 are the base and are looking to party leadership because they want to believe and want to see Democrats, whoever they are defeated. To these 82,000 the party’s leadership had a responsibility to and under the chairmanship of Willes Lee, beholden to Lingle, have failed.
But 82,000 times three equals Republican victory in every statewide (senatorial and gubernatorial) and individual congressional race. The base must be energized. There is a neighbor up North in Alaska who has energized the base across the nation. Whether you like it or not Sarah Palin is now the party’s leader. She owes it to Hawaii’s state party to visit Hawaii. The party must deliver her soon and often to fill up the convention center or even the Aloha Stadium. This would not only be an opportunity to energize the 82,000 but also the 40,000 more that voted for her on the presidential ticket. This would be the draw for a tremendous recruiting and fundraising opportunity unlike anything else ever seen in Hawaii Republican history. Energize the base.
