Endorsements emerge after a complicated dance

What does a political endorsement mean and how do you get it?

Sign waving seems crazy but it also seems to work

I have a theory about why we get the political leaders we get. It is because of sign waving.

Lieutenant governor's job has potential -- for irrelevancy

How do you decide? There are six Democrats running for lieutenant governor. I bet you will see every one of the candidates' signs as you drive to work and by the time you arrive, you will not be able to recall any of them.

Case re-enters politics with both barrels blazing

Ed Case has gone from pariah to player in this fall's Democratic primary. Even after dropping out of the 1st Congressional District race, Case is becoming something of a game-changer in this election.

Election polling by media keeps things honest

Why does the news media poll? Politicians continually question news media polls. They argue the surveys are not fair. They say the poll winner gets a boost and the losers are all hurt.

The race is on and already negative ads are out front

How often does a piece of snail mail go viral?

Schools accountability lacking but a solution is elusive

Most politicians will tell you that trying to reform Hawaii's Department of Education is like invading Russia in winter - a colossal mistake.

Politicians must tap older voters to ensure victory

As much as the Internet fascinates, the young people padding through Facebook and Twitter are not going there to figure out how to vote.

Democratic gov candidates off to an uninspiring start

The anticipated first showdown this week between Democrats Mufi Hannemann and Neil Abercrombie turned out to be neither illuminating nor interesting.

Getting elected is all about making connections

This is the time of the year when our elected leaders turn to thoughts of themselves. "How are we going to get elected or re-elected?" they ask. Here are the four hot new words in politics: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr.