Editorials
Wednesday, November 4, 1998

Republicans fail again
to dislodge Democrats

AS Democratic candidates have in previous elections, Ben Cayetano came from behind in the closing days of the campaign to overtake Republican Linda Lingle and win re-election as governor. The Democrats again exploited their incumbency to raise more money and call out more workers than the Republicans to maintain their grip on power. They have held the governorship for 36 years and now will have it for another four.

This was probably the GOP's best chance to regain the key post in state government since William Quinn lost it to John Burns in 1962. The state economy is the weakest it has been since statehood and dissatisfaction with the Democrats as shown in the opinion polls was strong.

Moreover, in Linda Lingle they had an articulate, independent candidate who offered a clear alternative to the Democratic establishment. Although virtually unknown outside Maui County at the start of the race, she overcame major handicaps -- a white, single woman from the neighbor islands -- to quickly take an impressive lead in the polls.

But Cayetano fought back, closing with a rush of paid television and newspaper messages that overwhelmed Lingle. He presented himself as the true candidate of change despite the fact that he heads the Democratic establishment that has dominated Hawaii politics since 1954.

The public employee unions who endorsed him -- as they have all his Democratic predecessors -- again succeeded in electing their boss. For Cayetano to succeed in reforming state government would mean taking on the unions who helped greatly to elect him -- an awkward situation at best. This was a victory for the status quo.

Cayetano made some dubious claims that the economy has improved during his four years in office and that his efforts have turned a budget deficit into a surplus. Evidently enough voters were persuaded to put him over the top. Some traditionally Democratic voters who remember or have been told about the bad old days under Republican domination undoubtedly couldn't bear to turn the state over to the GOP.

The result is another failure of the Republicans to put an end to one-party rule in Hawaii. They will be hard-pressed to find as effective a candidate as Lingle next time, but if the Democrats fail to restore prosperity over the next four years the voters may finally be ready for a change. The governor called the strong Republican showing a wake-up call for the Democrats and promised to press ahead with his agenda for improving the economy and education. We hope he succeeds but still think Hawaii needs a strong two-party system.

Meanwhile in both the state Legislature and in Congress the Democrats held off the Republicans. The GOP lost two state legislative leaders, Gene Ward and Quentin Kawananakoa, who left the House to run for Congress. Kawananakoa dropped out of the primary race and Ward lost to incumbent Neil Abercrombie. Although five incumbent state senators were unseated in the primary, there were few surprises in the general election.

Nationally, President Clinton's impeachment problems had no perceptible impact on the elections. Republican hopes for substantial gains in both houses of Congress were thwarted. The Democrats actually gained a few seats in the House, although not enough to regain control. The results were certainly no mandate for impeachment and could help Clinton finish out his term.

OVERSHADOWING the individual races in Hawaii was the titanic battle over same-sex marriage. The result was a clear victory for supporters of so-called traditional marriage. We had hoped that Hawaii, renowned for its tolerance of differences of race, ethnicity and religion, would extend that tolerance to homosexuals in their bid for recognition of same-sex marriage.

We supported the placing of the constitutional amendment authorizing the Legislature to ban same-sex marriage on the ballot because the citizens who approved the state Constitution had no idea that it would be interpreted by the Supreme Court as protecting such marriages. The ballot question gave them an opportunity to decide the question, which was appropriate. However, we do not believe that the public interest requires a ban. Government should stay out of such moral issues when there is no compelling need to intervene.

The issue is an emotional one, and the claims made by the contending groups sometimes were offensive or unfactual. The results of the vote are not likely to put an end to this issue; further legal challenges are expected. We hope that future discussions will be conducted with more restraint and responsibility than have been exhibited thus far.

With same-sex marriage on the ballot, there was no need for a constitutional convention, and the voters made the correct decision in rejecting that proposal. A convention may be appropriate if the Hawaiian community manages to agree on a sovereignty proposal that requires changes to the state Constitution. At present, however, there is no issue that commands sufficient support to warrant holding a convention.

Nuclear security

IN an age of terrorism, nuclear power plants could be tempting targets. Yet a program aimed at identifying security lapses at nuclear plants is being dropped by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, reportedly as part of a cost-cutting reorganization. It doesn't make sense, particularly with the federal government experiencing a budget surplus.

The program has identified serious security lapses at nearly half the nation's 104 nuclear power reactors. At one reactor, a team "was able to reach and simulate sabotaging enough equipment to cause a core melt," according to David Orrik, the NRC security specialist who directed the program.

Adequate security can be expensive, but the threat of terrorist attack justifies the expenditure. This is not an appropriate area for extensive cost-cutting.

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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO

John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher

David Shapiro, Managing Editor

Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor

Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors

A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor