Abercrombie backs away from earlier indiscretions

Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s first State of the State speech in 2011 was his boldest and he is still digging himself out from the resulting fallout.

This year Abercrombie’s address served as a launching point for his reelection campaign because shortly after giving his fourth State of the State speech, his campaign commercials went up on statewide television.

The speech did two things: first, claim credit for managing a deficit, and second, allow him to back away from his wildly unpopular pension-taxing proposal.

In 2011, Abercrombie said Hawaii should "treat pension income like all other income for tax purposes."

In 2014, he said "I will be asking the Legislature to look at the way we tax seniors in order to provide more equity and fairness for those on fixed and middle incomes to see that more of their money remains in their pocketbooks."

Back when he proposed a state tax on pensions, Abercrombie argued that most states taxed pensions and so did the federal government — therefore it was unfair that seniors here escaped paying tax on that income.

The resulting howls of protest from senior citizens continue to echo in Abercrombie’s campaign.

This week he acknowledged that "I accept and understand the message on pension income and taxation," and phrased his new proposal to expand tax breaks for seniors as "parity."

If Abercrombie now understands it, House Speaker Joe Souki does not. Souki went out on a limb in his opening day speech and urged a reconsideration of the pension tax because he thought it would help political relations between the House and Abercrombie.

Now that Abercrombie blindsided Souki, the Maui Democrat could only say that he was "glad to serve as a catalyst for the governor."

Abercrombie’s first speech, besides offering a daring plan to raise money for the state, also addressed his perception of social problems. For instance, soda was another item that he said should be taxed.

"We can no longer ignore the fact that consumption of these and other such products contribute to rising public health costs," he said.

Failing to get any support for that idea, Abercrombie came back in 2012 urging a task force be created to move "us away from the path that has led obesity rates in Hawaii to double."

Another unflinching new idea in 2011 was to do something with Aloha Stadium.

"Other than maintenance related to health and safety, I will divert all other capital improvement dollars for Aloha Stadium to other projects," Abercrombie said.

Somehow that never moved, and now Abercrombie is asking Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui to shepherd sports promotion in the islands.

Perhaps the biggest change over the four years of Abercrombie speech-making has been his thoughts about the public.

Back in 2011, the whole state, he said, was embarking on an affair of the heart.

"I believe in Hawaii. I believe that you believe in Hawaii. This is the reason I ran for governor — to have the opportunity to express every day my confidence in all of us, no matter our background or opinion. We are Hawaii — an impossible convergence in the spirit of aloha," Abercrombie said.

By 2013, Abercrombie reflected on how his unpopular support for issues such as the Public Land Development Corp. divided the community.

"Perspective gives way to prosecution or even persecution. We can do better than what we have lately witnessed. The level of discourse in our public policy discussion stands in need of elevation," he said last year.

This year there was neither ebullient excitement nor any public chastisement as Abercrombie’s speech drew its own sober note, opening and closing with the remembrance of people who died: Hawaii National Guard Sgt. Drew Scobie was killed earlier this month while serving in Afghan- istan, and Loretta Fuddy, state health director, who died in an airplane crash.

It has been a rocky road.

———

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.