The Akaka-Case Senate race is rife with irony. Two examples:
If you’re a diehard plantation-era union Democrat — the kind who feels
it’s so shame, the worst kind of moral turpitude, to vote for any
Republican under any circumstance — you feel it’s your duty as a good
citizen to vote Akaka. But you know Ed Case is plenty akamai about
politics — if he loses this primary by a wide margin, he’ll run as a
Republican next time (assuming he doesn’t just chuck it all), and so will
every other Democratic-leaning politician who is moderate (or pretending
to be so.)
So, as an oh-so-liberal voter, it’s in your long-term best
interest to vote for Case — but you just can’t bring yourself to sully
your good name like that.
Meanwhile, if you’re Linda Lingle, you’re almost identical to Ed Case
politically if you ignore the party labels and watch how the two of you
actually vote. You want someone to represent your point of view, you
should vote Case.
But, the governor’s office is two terms and out, and
you’re angling for one of those cushy U.S. Senate seats. So, it’s in
your long-term best interest to quietly work behind the scenes to end
Case’s career this election, while publicly maintaining plausible
deniability about the whole sordid affair.
If only every election cycle was this much fun.
”’Jim Henshaw, a resident of Kailua, can be reached via email at”’
mailto:lindamd1@juno.com