Akaka is a senile clueless old man. I think he needs a scooter. I saw him at a rally in Molokai. He actually did get up and sing a Hawaiian song. They are not so bad. Just clueless.
You nailed it. His last election was a joke. The locals vote for him because he's been there forever and there tends to still be a degree of respect for ones elders here, though not as strong as it was even 10 or 15 years ago.