Republican Party behind Trump is not Hawaii’s GOP — and that’s downright destructive

The president making the big impact in local politics is not favorite son Barack Obama; it is the largely rejected Donald Trump.

Voters in Hawaii generally adored the homegrown Punahou grad. Obama usually netted job approval ratings in the high 60s, while Trump, according to the latest Honolulu Star-Advertiser poll, saw approval at 31 percent, with 56 percent disapproving. A January Gallup Poll had just 29 percent of Hawaii voters approving of Trump’s performance.

For local Republicans, the wave of dislike Hawaii shows for their leader is causing more local political change than all the Democratic smiley faces and good thoughts spread around during the Obama years.

First, one of the most talented draws of the local GOP, state House minority leader Rep. Beth Fukumoto, left the GOP, denouncing Trump and rejecting his hold over the party.

“To be a ‘real Republican,’ I’m required to swear that taxes are inherently evil and that guns are always good. I’m asked to distrust every Muslim and reject all Hispanic immigrants. I’m encouraged to perform political martyrdom on a weekly basis just to gain attention, and compromise is always considered a betrayal,” Fukumoto wrote in a 2016 NBC News opinion piece.

Last week, Fukumoto, now a Democrat, made good on her 2017 speculation and announced she was running for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional seat, now occupied by U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who is running for governor.

Hating on Trump has simply distorted the Hawaii political landscape. While still facing that 56 percent overall voter disapproval rating, a full 73 percent of Hawaii GOP respondents gave Trump a big thumbs up. So if you are running in a contested Hawaii GOP primary, you had better love the 45th president.

For instance, the Star-Advertiser poll shows that John Carroll would beat state GOP House leader Andria Tupola 40 percent to 28 percent, with a huge 32 percent undecided.

Carroll is a Hawaii GOP war-horse who hasn’t won office since 1978 and since then has lost races for governor, U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Facing complaints investigated by the Disciplinary Board of the Hawaii Supreme Court, Carroll last year gave up his law license. Still he had quickly endorsed Trump and is ahead of Tupola, who is trying to be a more moderate Republican.

Also the local GOP can say “Thank you Mr. President,” for so disgusting Charles Djou that he also threw up his hands and left the party.

“Too many Republicans either applaud Trump’s tirades or greet them with silent acceptance. This leads to an implicit ratification by the GOP of Trump’s undisciplined, uninformed, and unfocused leadership,” Djou wrote in an opinion piece for Civil Beat.

“I abandon my party because I am unwilling to abandon my principles,” said Djou.

Last week in an interview, the former GOP state House member and Honolulu Councilman said he has gotten strong support for his action, but is not considering running for any other office.

“A lot of friends and supporters realized it is difficult for Republicans to get elected in Hawaii and it is just compounded by Trump,” Djou said.

“It saddens me because Hawaii needs the true democracy of a two-party system; I am just hoping for something other than the polarized, hyper-partisan lens that everything is now viewed through.”

Although Djou wouldn’t say it, the end accomplishment of Donald Trump and Hawaii will be the complete destruction of the Hawaii Republican Party.

Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays. Reach him at 808onpolitics@gmail.com.