GOP’s ‘Survival’ coming to Hawaii

Even in Democrat-heavy Hawaii, Republicans can be a part of the action — at least on the national level.

For the first time ever, the Hawaii Republican Party will be holding presidential caucuses, and it’ll be a full slate on March 13: Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.

Each of the campaigns paid $5,000 to enter the Hawaii caucuses and compete for 17 of the state’s 20 delegates at the August national convention. (The party chairman, Republican national committeeman and Republican national committeewoman are unpledged.)

This also could be a boost for local GOP recruiting: When isle-born Barack Obama energized Hawaii’s Democratic Party caucuses in 2008, a record 37,000 voters turned out, more than seven times the previous high of 5,000.

Hawaii offers Obama a way out

Some people are upset about how the Obama administration is applying federal health care reform rules to religious employers, excluding churches — and Hawaii is being invoked as a place where a compromise has been found.

The issue concerns health care coverage of contraceptive services, and American Catholic bishops stand in the forefront of those against the ruling that religious hospitals and charities would have to cover contraception.

A religious exemption here, Hawaii Revised Statutes 431:10A-116.7, directs insurance carriers to offer a rider for employees of exempted nonprofits, and requires that employers notify them about it.

Let’s see if the president takes this page from the Hawaii playbook.