Infighting in party trenches a sign of change to come

After two weeks of hearing from the big dogs at the Republican and Democratic national conventions, it is time to get back to listening for the rustling in the grassroots.

This campaign year, Hawaii is seeing action on both the right and left.

Hawaii’s right wing, already almost microscopic, has found itself suffering a new clipping as it contends with internal squabbling more baffling than defining. In other words, who knows what they are doing?

A GOP splinter group, Hawaii Republican Action–HIRA, is posting social media attacks — not against Democrats, but against mainstream Hawaii Republicans, including Charles Djou, who is running in the nonpartisan race for mayor.

HIRA, warning that the former GOP congressman was a RINO (“Republican in Name Only”) quoted Djou in one ad as saying, “I certainly do not support Donald Trump and I do not want him to be our next president. Although Hillary will likely be nothing more than the same failed status quo in government, I stand with #NeverTrump.”

Then Fritz Rohlfing, who during the primary season said he also didn’t support Trump, took the unusual step of wading into the nonpartisan contest and endorsing Djou because of his GOP background.

“Hawaii Republicans, we must urgently increase our turnout for the upcoming August 13 primary election … Especially since our fellow Hawaii Republican Charles Djou is running for Honolulu mayor and will win the mayoral race outright on Saturday, Aug. 13, if he gets over 50 percent of the voters,” Rohlfing said in a fundraising appeal.

For Democrats, fighting among fellow Democrats is not baffling; it is expected. Because the Democrats control so much of the political action, if they want to beef, the battle has to happen during the primary races, Democrat against Democrat.

The difference this year is the rise of the Democratic progressive wing. There are three different shoots growing: opposition to genetically modified organisms (GMOs), opposition to the Thirty Meter Telescope construction on Mauna Kea, and support for issues raised by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders during his campaign for president.

Gary Hooser, the Kauai County councilman, is one of the progressive leaders who has campaigned against agricultural chemical use, against GMO plantings and for organic food.

“This is the year when we have a good mix of credible progressive candidates running good campaigns,” Hooser said.

Asked what he thought was fueling the rise of progressive candidates this primary season, Hooser said he doesn’t think “the Legislature is doing its job.”

“There is just a lot of frustration with mostly the state House,” Hooser said. “People come to testify and they are given three minutes and that’s it. No one even listens to them.”

The obvious political solution if the other guys won’t listen is to replace those folks. Hooser said that this year, that’s the plan.

Wholesale change rarely comes, but this year the grassroots are getting a good rain and lots of organic fertilizer.

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