'Racially Insensitive and Sexist' Democrats Pull Out of Hawaii Special Election

Nothing like a good catfight among Democrats. Their own infighting may well allow Republican Charles Djou to win the Hawaii Congressional seat in Barack Obama's hometown.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the national campaign organization of House Democrats, announced today that it is pulling out of a special election in Hawaii that has turned into a major headache for the party.

"The DCCC will not be investing additional resources in the HI-01 (Abercrombie-open) special election," said DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider. "Local Democrats were unable to work out their differences. The DCCC will save the resources we would have invested in the Hawaii special election this month for the general election in November."

Here's the back-story: There are two Democrats, Ed Case and Colleen Hanabusa, who are seeking the seat, along with one Republican. While the district is usually safely Democratic - President Obama grew up there, and took 70 percent of the vote in 2008 - the two Democrats are splitting the special election vote, leaving GOP candidate and Honolulu city councilman Charles Djou in first place in many polls.

Democrats have been pressuring one of the Democratic candidates to drop out, but there is a split in institutional support: National Democrats have been supporting Case, a former U.S. representative, while Hawaii's two senator's backed Hanabusa, the state senate president. Hanabusa insisted last week she is "in the race until the end" despite pressure from national Democrats.

Here's some of the back story.

Democrats remain hotly divided over whom to support, with some saying national party interference in the election has been racially insensitive or sexist.

The DCCC has been quietly supporting Case over Hanabusa, Politico reports, citing unnamed sources. Those efforts reportedly coincided with the circulation of opposition research against Hanabusa.

Upon hearing reports of the DCCC's support for Case, the Asian American Action Fund released a statement saying, "The DCCC should focus the party on uniting Democrats and keeping this seat blue rather than dividing us and helping us defeat ourselves."

"It is unseemly for party officials to step into a special election with more than one Democrat, particularly in a district where 58 percent of the population is Asian Pacific American," Asian American Action Fund executive director Gautam Dutta said. "Imagine the disgruntled reaction were the DCCC to step into a contested special election in a predominantly African-American or Latino district."

Some female Democratic activists were also angered. Amy Siskind, president of The New Agenda, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls, wrote at the Huffington Post that the DCCC's actions represented "the latest on a long list of examples of the Democratic Party no longer standing up for, nor representing, women and women's issues."

Gee, I thought only Republicans were supposed to be racist and sexist?

As Economy Crumbles and Hungry Homeless Freeze in the Streets of Chicago, Dear Leader Obama Plays Golf in Hawaii

Just imagine that headline and indignant howls of feigned outrage if a heartless Republican were to go play golf and luxuriate at a $9 million mansion in Hawaii while the continental United States shivered in the wake of record cold. Heck, I didn't know this guy had ever picked up a golf club before. Heaven help us if we have to go through Clinton-like stories about his links prowess while he racks up 18 mulligans every round.

Obama, a left-handed golfer, sported black shades and wore a white polo shirt, brown cargo shorts, short white socks and golf shoes. About midway through the course, Obama stopped by the snack bar, where he purchased two hot dogs, two passion-orange sodas, one Powerade and one Coke. He also bought two Spam musubi, a sushi-like Hawaiian delicacy consisting of Spam and fried egg on a slab of rice, all held together with a dried seaweed wrap. (He paid a total of $17.75, but it was unclear whether the president-elect ate a Spam musubi.)

At the clubhouse, Obama unexpectedly bumped into a pool of reporters, who asked how his game was going. He smiled and conceded: "I'm not that good."

When he arrived at the driving range earlier, he spotted the reporters and cameras about 15 feet away on the other side of a fence and said: "OK guys, come on. How many shots do you need?"

Now what kind of message does it send to those now out of work that this man of the people is living extra large at a $9 million mansion?

While on vacation in Hawaii, the Obama family is staying in a $9-million single-storey oceanfront home in a laid-back neighbourhood over the mountain from downtown Honolulu where the president-elect grew up.

The five-bedroom wood-frame house sits on almost half a hectare of land fronting Kailua Beach, a favourite spot for windsurfers, kayakers and dog walkers.

The white sand in front of the house is public land, just like all beaches under state law. The Obamas may see neighbours out for a walk or jog.

Don Dymond, owner of the nearby Kalapawai Cafe and Kalapawai Market, said it is particularly thrilling because Mr. Obama "knows enough about the state and the island that he would know if there's a better spot."

Such elitism. It doesn't say who owns the home.

Photographs from a 2007 real-estate listing show a stone-encircled swimming pool and an open-air sitting room with views of a grassy lawn and the ocean. City tax records show a Houston man bought the property in January for $9-million (U.S.).

The home is among the most expensive on a block where shoreline lots go for a minimum of $3-million and non-beachfront properties easily top $1-million.

Thanks to Hot Air for the link.

Some obscure far left blog with apparently very few readers but a bizarre obsession with me and a clear inability to detect sarcasm sent a trackback. I've been unable to spot any traffic, so I won't bother mentioning them. Guess they're trolling for some readers. How sad.

Brrr! Global Warming Drops Maui Temperature to 64 Degrees

It's a moral crisis. Can the planet be saved?

The return of the trade winds should temper the temperature extremes that occurred around the state over the weekend, but it will be increasing the wildfire threat, Maui weather analyst Glenn James said Tuesday.

Even as a brush fire broke out at Pulehu on Tuesday (see related story below), a fire- weather watch was issued giving notice of an increased fire hazard.

"The National Weather Service issued a watch, which means we all have to be very, very careful about not lighting any fires right now," he said.

It may appear to be an abrupt change in conditions, after Maui County experienced a record low 64 degrees on Sunday that combined with steady afternoon showers to provide another near record 65 degrees on Monday, before the daytime temperature zipped up to a high of 91 degrees that afternoon.

Of course, other see far more nefarious conspiracies lurking.

Global warming and environmentalism are distractions. As the mass media creates climate illusions, Big Brother clamps down by opening our mail, suspending habeas corpus, stealing private lands, banning books like "America Deceived" from Amazon, rigging elections, conducting warrantless wiretaps and starting wars based on blatant lies. Prevent our loss of rights then handle the environment.