Dems Suck Up Another Republican

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Wednesday - December 26, 2007

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The state House of Representatives’ District 44, which includes Honokai Hale, Nanakuli and Lualualei, is considered by many to be a Democratic stronghold. It was a nightmare for Karen Awana: She was a Republican in a Democratic district.

Awana surfaced with a promise of change. She was swept into office as the first Republican to ever represent the district, and by all accounts was doing a wonderful job.

She says her decision to switch from Republican to Democrat was based on what went on in the last legislative session. One can only speculate on that. If you keep track of the legislative sessions, you know that Republicans don’t chair any committees, and their proposed legislation is seldom if ever voted into law.

It must have been traumatic for Ms. Awana, realizing she had run for office in the wrong party. The question is, was there any possibility that she could have run as a Democrat against an incumbent Democrat and still win the election? No one knows for sure.

But now there is the shame of turning her back on the people who voted her into office as a Republican.

Another Republican switched parties recently in the state Senate. His reason was something like he felt he could do more for his district as a Democrat. Sen. Mike Gabbard (D-19th Kapolei, Makakilo, Waikele) was a staunch opponent of same sex marriage in the late ‘90s, but now feels he can do more for his district as a Democrat.

It appears Gabbard and Awana are saying the same thing, and it is not a pretty message: No matter how good your ideas are, no matter how hard you work, no matter how much your district supports you at the polls, you will never get anything for them as a Republican. It just doesn’t happen in local politics.

Well, at least now we know that when you are a Republican in our state Legislature, it doesn’t matter which chamber you work in, the treatment is the same - lousy. It also proves that politicians never, ever devote any effort to proving themselves wrong. If they had, they probably would have run as Democrats the first time around. Then again, the reason they didn’t is because they didn’t want to face an incumbent in the primary. Now they have the unpleasant task of running as Democrats and denouncing everything they said as Republicans.