The Aloha State, our Pacific jewel, could also play a critical role in ARP's strategy, depending on whether or not we have the wherewithal to make some contacts here.  It gave a total of 12% to third-party/independent presidential candidates in 96.  It was not particularly sympathetic to Perot in 92.  But my feeling is that the organizational importance of having the entire congressional delegation of a state be ARP or ARP-sympathetic means we should lower the bar somewhat for states with few congressional districts.  Hawaii has a meager two.

    Senator Inouye has a very distinguished war record, and lost an arm for us.  However his career in the Senate has had problems from the point of view of ARP's issues.  To put it in a nutshell, much of his career has been spent pork-barreling and featherbedding for Hawaii.  Some would argue that this was his proper function as a Senator.  I doubt most ARPers would share that perspective.  Take a look at this paragraph from a work without which I would have been unable to do the proper research for this project at all, Michael Barone's The Almanac of American Politics, perhaps the finest reference work on American politics available today:
 

Inouye has long used his seat on Appropriations to fund projects he finds worthy, from his alma mater of George Washington University to the Pacific Island Technical Assistance Program to native Hawaiian education. For years he earmarked money for projects in Hawaii; when Republicans attacked that process in 1995, and removed earmarked projects from the FY96 defense spending bill. Inouye saw to it that earmarks were listed in the Senate committee report...He is pleased to note that he funded an oceanography vessel the Navy officially says it doesn't want.
    Earmarks?  An unwanted Navy vessel?  Sounds like a walking Golden Fleece Award.  I personally find it extremely offensive.  But offensive or not, it's academic.  Inouye said already that 98 would be his last campaign.  So ARP will not be confronted with an incumbent in the 2004 contest for this seat.  About the only noticeable person in the third-party/independent movement in this state is Orson Swindle, who some of you may remember from United We Stand America.  He might make sense as our Senate candidate in 2004.  But before I definitely make that recommendation I would like to hear more about him from anyone out there who was involved with him during the Perot 92 campaign.  Another possibility is a potential Republicrat ARP sympathizer and potential Trojan Horse, first District Neil Abercrombie (D), who is in general sympathetic with ARP positions on the issues.  My first choice is to see Abercrombie, with his greater experience, as ARP's Trojan Horse in the Senate, with Swindle serving in the House in Mink's old seat.

    Senator Daniel Akaka is a traditional Democratic liberal who is up for re-election in 2000.  He has won by overwhelming margins except in 1990 when he faced a rather respectable challenge from Patricia Saiki.  Saiki's political identity was highly centrist, according to the vote ratings given in the 1990 edition of the American Almanac of American Politics.  Unfortunately, she has no record at all when it comes to political reform, is a strong free trader, and actually voted consistently against centrist attempts at balancing the budget and paying off the debt, so I doubt that, should she decide to mount a political comeback, her return to the political stage would do ARP much good.  So it looks to me like we are forced back to flag-planting strategy, -- run someone who is at least respectable and intelligent and go for the already rather tall order of a 22% showing, -- a showing sufficient to hold Akaka to no more than a 50% showing if his support from 94 holds constant through 00.
 

FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

    We should endorse incumbent Neil Abercrombie(D) in '00.  He is anti-NAFTA, and he supported the Blue Dog budget.  Orson Swindle might consider challenging Abercrombie again in '00.  He did better each time he ran against Abercrombie in the past as a Republican, holding him to a 50% squeaker in 96.  I have been unable to find out why he chose not to challenge in 98.  Does someone know the skinny on that?  Is he ill?  In any event, I think we should make it our business, assuming that Swindle is still interested in political office, to let him know that ARP might be ready to support him either for Mink's seat or Inouye's seat, provided he does not challenge Abercrombie again.  After all, Abercrombie is a potential member of our ARP coalition, and I would not like to see him and Swindle pitted against each other again.  Of course, Abercrombie may decide to run for the Senate in 04.  Obviously, that leaves the First unprotected if Swindle has won over Mink in the meantime.
 

SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT


    We should challenge Patsy Mink(D), who received 69% in her last race, possibly with Orson Swindle(R), if ruffled feathers can be smoothed.  He almost beat Neil Abercrombie the last time around, and I believe he has definite growth potential as a challenger.  There is a certain poetic justice to his running as an ARP challenger, considering the fact that he was one of the original leaders back in '92 of United We Stand America and is, I believe, strongly committed to our principles.   Unfortunately Mink is so formidable that I believe it possible that Swindle will wait until 04 and go for the open Senate seat.  If that is his decision we are reduced to simply running a flag-planting race, with the objective of receiving 19% or thereabouts of the vote total.
 
 


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