Gay marriage tops a year of scarce civility and smarts

It’s time to send 2013 on its way by recapping the year’s news "flASHback" style:

» Gov. Neil Abercrombie called the Legislature into special session to pass same-sex marriage, saying it was best done quickly and away from the hubbub of a regular session. It was the political equivalent of getting drunk and eloping.

» The governor launched his 2014 re-election bid, promising to build on his accomplishments in a second term. It was an expansive speech, but can be summarized as a simple mathematical formula: 2 x 0 = 0.

» Abercrombie suggested planting a vegetable garden on the Capitol rooftop. Finally, a good use for all the manure produced in that building.

» Shan Tsutsui became Abercrombie’s lieutenant governor and got the boss’s blessing to work part of the time from his Maui home. That’s the beauty of a do-nothing job: You can do it anywhere.

» Sen. Donna Mercado Kim blasted the "bloat" in University of Hawaii salaries. It meant a lot coming from one of the legislators who took a 30 percent pay raise during the Great Recession and gets 25 percent more at year’s end.

» House Speaker Joe Souki urged his colleagues to deal with Hawaii’s problems "intelligently." It was worth a shot; none of the other approaches they’vetried ever worked.

» Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation President Dean Okimoto and anti-GMO activists exchanged harassment claims after a shoving match and display of middle fingers at the Capitol. It was the year’s most elevated discussion of the issue.

» After pondering whether to run against Abercrombie or U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa opted to go for the Senate. It’s so hard for her to make the decisions Dan Ino­uye used to make for her.

» Hanabusa was backed by EMILY’s List, which funds women running against men — even men with solid women’s rights records. When men act like this it’s called male chauvinism; with women it’s called "Shut up, I’m always right."

» Things got awkward when Schatz and Hanabusa held fundraisers the same night at the same Washington hotel. Seldom are Senate candidates auctioned off side by side.

» Hawaii’s other U.S. senator, Mazie Hirono, trumpeted her White House dinner with President Barack Obama as he wooed Congress with a "charm campaign." He focused on members who could use some.

» Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell leveraged his election with a $2,000-a-head political fundraiser. The unofficial theme was "Get Your Building Permits Here."

» The Ethics Commission said a transition team that raised $400,000 for Caldwell’s inauguration didn’t violate the law, but caused "serious concerns about the integrity of city government." Only in government can lack of integrity and ethical compliance coexist.

» Councilman Stanley Chang proposed a bill to make lying on Oahu’s sidewalks illegal. Chang and fellow sign-waving politicians would have to make their campaign promises from the curb.

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Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com or blog.volcanicash.net.