Kaua‘i voters rest among the most powerful people in the world, Maya Soetoro-Ng said yesterday at a campaign stop for her half-brother, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. Democrats need to caucus Feb. 19 to pick their party’s presidential preference,
Kaua‘i voters rest among the most powerful people in the world, Maya Soetoro-Ng said yesterday at a campaign stop for her half-brother, presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Democrats need to caucus Feb. 19 to pick their party’s presidential preference, she said in an interview at Gaylord’s Restaurant in Lihu‘e.
“The race is so close that Hawai‘i really counts,” Soetoro-Ng said. “This is an opportunity for Hawai‘i to raise its voice, be recognized and have its concerns and interests placed at the forefront of the national dialogue.”
Hawai‘i holds 29 Democratic delegates. Each is crucial in a presidential nominating contest this tight, said Obama’s state campaign director Andy Winer, who organized the Garden Isle visit.
Soetoro-Ng started the day with a radio interview on KQNG, then she brunched at Kilohana, attended a house party in Wailua and had coffee at state Sen. Gary Hooser’s house in Kapa‘a. At each public event, the Honolulu resident spread her older brother’s message and urged voters to speak out.
Obama is neck-and-neck with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-New York, in a momentous contest that will result in the first woman or black Democratic presidential nominee, respectively.
Former Democratic Sen. John Edwards dropped out of the race last week. He has yet to endorse either candidate.
Meanwhile, Arizona Sen. John McCain has all but clinched the Republican Party’s presidential nomination after taking a commanding lead on Super Tuesday. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney quit the contest earlier this week.
In 2004, only 4,000 Democrats caucused in Hawai‘i, a state with 1.2 million residents.
“We can do a lot better,” Soetoro-Ng said.
The environment is a “top priority” for Obama, she said, noting the junior senator’s strong record in Washington, D.C. He previously served as a state senator in Illinois.
Slashing the nation’s dependence on oil is “a yolk we need to break,” she said.
Obama embraces every conceivable method to accomplish this goal, his sister added, particularly by capitalizing on alternative energy sources and investing in research.
“He will create a culture of sustainability,” Soetoro-Ng said. “He continues to learn and listen to those who have worked the hardest and longest as environmental activists.”
Winer said it was pretty easy to talk Obama’s sister into a campaign trip to the Garden Isle.
“Kaua‘i is a lot warmer than Iowa,” Soetoro-Ng said with a smile. “It’s such a gorgeous island with gorgeous people. The energy is very palpable.”
Obama and his sister attended the esteemed Punahou Academy on O‘ahu. They have the same mother and different fathers.
There are no “concrete plans” for Obama to visit the islands.
“He would love to come. This is a very special place to him,” Soetoro-Ng said. “The islands as a whole have nurtured him in his life of public service.”
She said Hawai‘i taught Obama to “sit in many worlds at once,” become multi-faceted and learn to emphasize empathy and support choice.
• Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
