Whose Side Are You on Anyway?

          It is not be uncommon for a Democrat Senate candidate to receive endorsements from other Democrats.  However, it is not only Hirono's fellow Democrats who are wholeheartedly endorsing her campaign, but Republican candidates and congressmen are rallying behind her cause as well (Garcia). Hirono's support across partisan lines was shocking, and will prove useful for the Hawaii candidate as the election draws nearer.
         John Carroll, Linda Lingle's former opponent in the Hawaiian Republican Primary Election, kissed Hirono on the cheek and offered her a few kind words (Garcia).  Carroll continued his endorsment of Hirono by publicly saying that "(Hirono is) the only option for Senate in my book right now"(qtd. in Garcia).  Though these comments may have been sincere,  Lingle's campaign could justify them being a bitter attempt to get even with Lingle after having been defeated by her in the primary election.  Regardless of what Carroll's words are construed to mean, his actions initiated a quick backlash from the Lingle's campaign.  Lingle's campaign spokesperson retaliated, stating that the endorsement Carrol made "[doesn't] mean a hill of beans"(qtd. Garcia).
        On what grounds can the Lingle campaign be so dismissive of their fellow party member's opinion?  The decline of partisanship in America is bears some of the responsibility (Berry et. al 226).  As more voters and even more candidates are beginning to lose their fierce partisan loyalty, it becomes easier to disagree with the party that candidate belongs to (Berry et. al 226).  Because of this shift in how candidates perceive themselves and their role in parties, political barriers that previously preventing this kind of criticism are being knocked down.  Lingle 's mockery of Carrol is an example of how his weak Republican identification lead to the endorsement of an opponent and then his ridicule at the hands of a fellow Republican.
        Weakening party identification is also a driving force in Hirono's second Republican endorsement, this one from Alaskan Congressman Don Young (Responds to Attack Ads).  The advertisement highlights Hirono's past bi-partisan accomplishments, and her ability to work with Republicans and achieve results.  Don Young fully endorses Hirono as the Senator Hawaii needs, although maybe not the one it deserves.
          Don Young's endorsement will be difficult for Lingle's campaign to ignore. Young is a reputable and conservative Congressman his home state of Alaska, a Republican stronghold that has only conceded once to a Democrat presidential candidate (Alaska 270 to win).  Young's status as a Republican politician will make dismissing his endorsement a difficult task for Lingle.
           Young's cross-partisan endorsement is yet another example of the weakening of partisan alignment in America.  Weaker partisan ties have lead to the current political social context in which Young  is able to speak freely in favor of Hirono, without fearing retribution from his fellow Republicans. Yet this weakening in partisan alignment also gives more leeway for other Republicans, such as Lingle, to disassociate with Young if they do not agree with the ideas he is espousing.  Such disassociation might be instrumental for Lingle if she wishes to recover from Hirono's very successful advertisement.

"Alaska 270 to Win." Alaska Presidential Election Voting History. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2012.

<http://www.270towin.com/states/Alaska>.

Berry, Jeffrey, Kenneth M. Janda, Jerry Goldman, and Kevin W. Hula. The Challenge of Democracy.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Print.

Garcia, Oskar. "Hirono Endorsed by Lingle's GOP Primary Opponent." Washington Examiner. N.p.,

24 Aug. 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. <http://washingtonexaminer.com/hirono-endorsed-by- 

lingles-gop-primary-opponent/article/feed/2027395>.

"Responds to Attack Ads." Mazie Hirono Videos : Firstpost Topic. N.p., 3 Nov. 2012. Web.

<http://www.firstpost.com/topic/person/mazie-hirono-barack-obama-responds-to-attack- 

ads-video-CtSk3nwhdzY-62233-1.html>.

Finances and The Overuse of Advertising

        Financially, the contenders for Hawaii's open Senate seat are standing on equal ground (Total Raised and Spent).  With Hirono having raised $5.1 million and Lingle having raised $5.4 million, the margin remains small and neither candidate is being offered a serious financial advantage (Mazie K. Hirono)(Total Raised and Spent).  As there is no significant gap in the funds both candidates were able to amass, it is interesting to cross-examen how each candidate thought it best to spend their available resources.
        Linda Lingle's campaign opted to purchase a cable channel to broadcast endorsements and advertisement 24-hours a day (Nagourney). This rather ambitious tactic exemplifies the idea of name recognition, which plays on undecided voter's memory to bring to mind the candidate that they most remember.  A 24-house news advertisement channel is an example of how the idea of name-recognition is being taken to the next level, providing a constant stream of stimulating propaganda.  This channel, situation only one station above Fox News, provides biased perspectives as seen through the eyes of the republican party, and would mislead any viewer to stumble upon it expected an objective perspective (Nagourney)(Berry et. al 142).
          Because of this over-zealous attempt to seize public attention, more timid voters might shy from its sheer audacity, thinking the channel to be a blatant waste of money or simply too forward in promoting Lingle's campaign. Is the channel even effective enough to justify 2.5 thousand dollars in expenditures every week (Nagourney)?  Political scientist Neal Milner answers that "most people people who are likely to watch [Lingle's channel] are people who have already decided to vote for her (qtd. in Nagourney).  If so, perhaps Lingle is just preaching to the choir and this channel is nothing more than a narcissistic release for the Republicans of Hawaii.
          In contrast, Hirono not strayed far from the beaten track in terms of advertising technique.  Any eccentricity in her campaign pales in comparison to the Lingle channel. As such, it is sufficient to say that Hirono has been more orthodox in her advertising campaign.  This makes Hirono's campaign less likely to alienate voters than if the bombarded them with an excess of advertisements.
         The Hirono and Lingle campaigns have both been diligent and reported to the best of their abilities their respective financial records to the Federal Election Commission (House and Senate Campaign Finance).  The money raised by both parties is in accordance with the Federal Elections Campaign Act, and no major discrepencies have yet been identified (House and Senate Campaign Finance)(Total Raised and Spent)(Berry et. al 221).  However, it is noteworthy to mention  that, as of october 17th, Hirono was only able to fully disclose  73.9% of her funds raised, while the origins of 26.1% of her funds remains incomplete. (Total Raised and Spent). Lingle's records were are much more transparent and accurate, as she was able to fully disclose the origins of 95.7% of her funds.
        Although it may amount to little more than slow accounting, the lack of transparency in Hirono's fiscal sector may be enough to cause Republicans, and even undecided voters, some grief.  There is still time for the Hirono campaign to get its finances in order before the mandatory submission of records to the FEC in November (Berry et. al 221).  It will be worthwhile to follow-up on these events and discover if the Hawaiian Democrats have indeed been fiscally responsible.
        Hirono received more donations, 21% of her campaign funds, from smaller individual donations (Mazie K. Hirono).  Lingle only received 7% of her overall campaign funds from small individual donations, and instead relied more heavily on larger and fewer donations (Total Raised and Spent). Observing this trend, and operating under the assumption that contributions are correlated to average household income, it becomes clear that Hirono is more popular among the majority of lower income households while Lingle is popular among the more wealthy households. These indicators based on campaign contributions are congruent with the national norms of partisanship and the role that income and socioeconomic status play in deciding elections (Berry et. al 173). Such partisan alignment determined by donation is a tool that can be used to gain insight into the candidates popularity, and to measure their success across different socioeconomic classes.





Berry, Jeffrey, Kenneth M. Janda, Jerry Goldman, and Kevin W. Hula. The Challenge of Democracy.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Print.

"House and Senate Campaign Finance." Federal Election Commission. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.fec.gov/disclosurehs/HSCandDetail.do>.

"Mazie K. Hirono." Campaign Finance/Money. N.p., 17 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00028139>.

Nagourney, Adam. "A Candidate Whose Ads Are Never Off the Air." The New York Times. The

New York Times, 09 Aug. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. 

<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/09/us/politics/linda-lingle-turns-hawaii-tv-channel-into- 

24-hour-campaign-ad.html?ref=lindalingle>.

"Total Raised and Spent." Total Raised and Spent. N.p., 16 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.opensecrets.org/races/summary.php?id=his2>.

Promotion of Women's Rights and Hirono's Publicity

          Mazie Hirono is a fervent protector of civil rights, specifically when pertaining to achieving equality between the sexes.  Hirono co-sponsored the re-introduction of the Equal Rights Act, which was initially brought into effect in the 1960's, to help with issues such as discriminatory wages (Mazie Hirono on Civil Rights). The re-introduction of this legislation would equip congress with greater power to address and combat infractions on existing regulation regarding discrimination based on sex or race (Mazie Hirono on Civil Rights).
          But is discrimination based on sex still an important issue in America? Though certain among us may contend that it is not, women currently only earn on average 77% of what their male counterparts earn in the same occupation (Cheeseman and Downs). This significant gap of 33% percent illustrates a clear lack of equality in the current socioeconomic system, not congruent with the founding notions of freedom, order and equality for which America strives (Berry, et al.).  As such, Hirono became a combattant of such shortcomings, using her influence in the political sphere as well as her personal experience as woman in politics as political weapons in her arsenal.
          The state of Hawaii itself is represented by a legislature comprised only 33% of women (Enloe and Seager.  It is of little surprise that Congresswoman Hirono has been such a strong supporter of equality when her State legislature is dominated by a 2/3 majority of men. This inequality of representation can be addressed by breaking down barriers, such as sexual discrimination and wage gaps, that would discourage women from seeking public office.  Though never explicitly stated by Hirono, it is likely that gender parody in politics is a long-term goal.
          The discussion of gender discrimination in politics does raise questions about how Hirono is portrayed by the media.  Many articles regarding the Congresswoman go on in length on the subject of the ongoing struggles of two women vying for control of Hawaii's second district (Gaddis).  The articles heavily broadcast the significance of the sex of both candidate and its importance for the state of  Hawaii.  Though multiple female candidates is an excellent indicator for the progression of equality in politics, it may cast a shadow over the issues the candidates themselves are advocating.  Although some news outlets, such as Honolulu's Civil Beat, are maintaining an objective perspective, it becomes easy for to lose sight of candidate's issues and in favor of what might be considered a more appealing topic of sex in politics (Blair).
          I do not mean to say that broadcasting the success of two prominent female candidates should be frowned upon, rather that such information should be released in a responsible manner in tandem with other relevant electoral information.





Berry, Jeffrey, Kenneth M. Janda, Jerry Goldman, and Kevin W. Hula. The Challenge of Democracy.

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Print.

Blair, Chad. "Lingle and Hirono, On The Attack." Honolulu Civil Beat. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2012.

<http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2012/10/31/17488-civil-beat-poll-hironos-double-digit- 

lead-over-lingle-holding/>.

Cheeseman, Jennifer, and Barbara Downs. "Examining the Gender Earnings Gap: Occupational

Differences and the Life Course." US Census. N.p., 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. 

<http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/ioindex/GenderEarningsGap.pdf>.

Enloe, Cynthia H., and Joni Seager. The Real State of America Atlas: Mapping the Myths and Truths

of the United States. New York, NY: Penguin, 2011. Print.

Gaddis, Nate. "Lingle vs Hirono: An Historically Rare, Important Election." Maui Now RSS. N.p., 22

Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. <http://mauinow.com/2012/08/22/lingle-vs-hirono-an- 

historically-rare-important-election/>.

 "Mazie Hirono on Civil Rights." Mazie Hirono on Civil Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

<http://www.ontheissues.org/house/Mazie_Hirono_Civil_Rights.htm>.