Posted on 11/04/2010 10:07:49 AM PDT by Liberals are Evil Socialists!
Hawaii now has most one-sided state legislature in the country
By Mark Niesse Associated Press
POSTED: 05:32 a.m. HST, Nov 04, 2010
Hawaii's overwhelmingly Democratic Legislature is now the nation's most one-sided, although Republicans managed to pick up one seat.
With 88 percent of legislative seats held by Democrats, Hawaii passed Rhode Island as the nation's most politically monolithic state, according to an Associated Press analysis of National Conference of State Legislatures' figures.
Democrats will control all but nine seats in Hawaii's 76-member Legislature following Tuesday's election. Republicans gained eight seats in Rhode Island to give it the second-most lopsided House and Senate, with 84 percent Democratic control.
The addition of just one Republican to the Hawaii Legislature fell far short of the Republican Party's hopes in a year in which 10 races had no incumbent and the party had targeted about 15 seats.
"Republican voters didn't turn out," said Dylan Nonaka, executive director for the Hawaii Republican Party. "We thought a lot of races should have been much closer."
Republicans gained two seats in the Hawaii House but lost a seat in the Senate, shrinking their number in that chamber to one.
Of the 10 seats without an incumbent, Republicans won two.
"A lot of the Democratic candidates just outhustled the Republican candidates," said Speaker of the House Calvin Say, D-St. Louis Heights-Wilhelmina Rise.
In the House, former Maui police captain and Republican George Fontaine defeated incumbent Joe Bertram. Bertram, D-Makena-Kihei, was criticized for appearing in court last year to defend a friend convicted of Internet enticement of a minor.
The other Republican elected to the House was Gil Riviere, a mortgage broker and Oahu North Shore Neighborhood Board member, who won an open seat vacated by Vice Speaker of the House Michael Magaoay. Magaoay, D-Schofield-Kahuku, unsuccessfully ran for state Senate.
"The Republican Party needs to get more candidates who are more active in the community," Riviere said. "We've got to have more people step up with more of a track record, but there are a lot of Democrats in the state."
Besides Riviere, the other Republican to win an open seat was Aaron Johanson, who replaces Republican Lynn Finnegan. Finnegan, R-Mapunapuna-Foster Village, unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor.
In the Senate, former Democratic Party Executive Director Pohai Ryan won a race to replace Republican Fred Hemmings. Hemmings, R-Lanikai-Waimanalo, is resigning.
Democratic Rep. Marilyn Lee was holding on to a 17- vote lead over Republican Shaun Kawakami, a former youth pastor.
"We're still essentially a blue state," said Lee, D- Mililani-Mililani Mauka. "The history of the labor unions, and also the state's diversity and the years and years that many different ethnic groups have struggled to be recognized as equal, that plays a role."
Racist socialist code words: “The history of the labor unions, and also the state’s diversity and the years and years that many different ethnic groups have struggled to be recognized as equal, that plays a role.”
It’s not totally racism here or the Republicans would have won the governorship. Unions trump everything.
Hawaii’s probably the only state where two of the winning candidates ran on helping Obama carry out his agenda.
Other than a vacation destination (and yes, there are better "island pardises" to go to), and a place to park Navy vessels, it has nothing to offer.
We can get all the pineapples and sugar we require elsewhere.
We should have sold the damn place to the Japanese when we had the chance.
Ah-LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW-HA!
Misleading article.
Hawaii did not change this election. They gained 2 in the House but lost 1 in the Senate. (Don’t know if any of those D’s are really ‘blue dogs’. Hawaii has a huge race issue).
The news buried in this article is that Rhode Island gained 8 Republican seats. So now it is no longer the most lopsided house, it is only the second most lopsided house.
The other news item is that Mass. is neither #1 or #2 on the list.
Hawaii is a VERY liberal state.
Obama will be vacationing there for Christmas. He’ll need that rest again after he has spent 200 MILLION Of YOUR DOLLARS during his trip to India. It must be exhausting to spend THAT much money. That is the amount they are disclosing. You know it will be HIGHER. They will also be tempting him with their most expensive liquor and food. You KNOW Obama FEELS ENTITLED to it so he will consume all he can and bribe whoever he can.
Vacation destinations on my never again list—Las Vegas(it I go back never stay at a Harrah’s property), Hawaii, anywhere in CA, New York City. Instead I will spend my vacation dollars in Florida since it is off my boycott list.
It’s time we grant them independence and wish them well.
“Hawaii has a huge race issue”
I heard they want to leave the USA and start their own kingdom allowing natives only in government.
What is going on with the movement.
I wonder who will win the race to be senate minority leader?
Never should have been admitted as a state.
The House Republicans need to erect a wall around these rat enclaves. Let them eat cake! No federal bailout for reckless state spending. Let the rats tangle with their labor cartel masters.
In a one party state, there are still liberals and conservatives. The legislature simply breaks down into ideological factions, rather than by party.
That's a small group of whackos. Even most of those with Hawaiian blood don't agree on much of the "movement" agenda.
This election was most assuredly NOT about race though - the only Hawaiian running for governor was Republican. His lt. gov. candidate is Filippina. Two whites won the governorship, aging hippie Neil Abercrombie and his sidekick, leader of the Obama for President campaign in 2008, Brian Schatz, also white.
Djou and Hanabusa are both Asian.
Wife and I visited Hawaii last spring and were amazed at the poverty. Lots of people just standing around, glassy eyed.
51 State House members for a 1.2 million population. That’s about 26,000 people per House legislator. Here in Illinois it’s over 100,000 per House legislator. Heck, Chicago has 50 City Council members for about 2.6 million people. I wonder if there’s a lower ratio of legislators to citizens in any other state?
We have a big problem with other states putting their homeless on a plane with a one-way ticket. From what I understand we have plenty of room in shelters. Trouble is, most of the homeless don’t want to follow the rules.
I still don’t know why we made it a state in the first place. It was a perfectly good military base as it was.
My cousins live in Hawaii and for the life of me I can’t figure them out LOL!
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