In the moments before Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the United States’ 44th president — making history as the first African-American and Hawai‘i-born commander-in-chief — elected officials and other leaders from the 50th state were hopping from one
In the moments before Barack Hussein Obama was sworn in as the United States’ 44th president — making history as the first African-American and Hawai‘i-born commander-in-chief — elected officials and other leaders from the 50th state were hopping from one pre-inaugural celebration to another in the nation’s capital at Washington, D.C.
U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono conducted a phone interview with The Garden Island just after speaking with Kaua‘i-born Gen. Eric Shinseki, Obama’s secretary of veterans affairs, at the Pearl Presidential Inaugural Gala at the five-star Mandarin Oriental Hotel last night.
“It is important that he has a sensibility about diversity,” Hirono said of Obama, attributing that mentality to his time in Hawai‘i and Indonesia. “He understands the complexities of the world. What he brings to the presidency is what we call the experience of aloha.”
Hawai‘i Democratic Party Chair Brian Schatz said Obama is truly a son of the islands.
“People in Hawai‘i recognized sooner than most his potential, and that’s because he represents what is best about Hawai‘i’s values,” he said. “Diversity is a strength, and cooperation and unity are to be valued and elevated.”
State Sen. Gary Hooser, D-Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, agreed.
“I think there’s no question that Barack Obama’s time in Hawai‘i has instilled in him an appreciation and respect for diversity and cultures,” he said. “His tolerance and acceptance of people from different faiths and different colors, comes, to a large degree, from his roots in Hawai‘i.”
Hirono’s office also co-sponsored, with the rest of the state’s congressional delegation, the Hawai‘i for Obama party Sunday evening at the Hay-Adams Hotel, located across from the White House, where Obama stayed after returning to Washington from his holiday vacation on O‘ahu.
Hooser, who served as honorary chair of the Kaua‘i for Obama committee, said in a phone interview from Washington that he attended a celebration at the home of part-time Kaua‘i residents Michael and Lucille Ceurvorst and had plans to attend the Hawai‘i for Obama party before returning to Hawai‘i Monday to prepare for the legislative session’s Wednesday commencement in Honolulu.
“Barack Obama came along and represents that change and that hope, and he has really galvanized the nation — young people, old people, of all faiths and ethnicities,” he said. “He inspired a whole lot of people, who feel a lot of optimism about the future. I share that optimism.”
Also attending the Hawai‘i for Obama party was Kaua‘i Mayor Bernard Carvalho, who said in a phone interview yesterday he could feel the energy from inauguration festivities throughout the city.
“Everybody being here, it’s not just about Hawai‘i or the United States, it’s the whole world,” he said. “Being here and seeing all the different types of people here for the inauguration is just awesome.”
Carvalho described the mood as upbeat and happy, complaining only of frigid temperatures and terrible traffic.
Schatz and Hooser expressed optimism that Obama’s presidency could be a boon for Hawai‘i.
“In practical terms, Hawai‘i is doing very well. With Sen. (Daniel) Inouye chairing the appropriations committee, Sen. (Daniel) Akaka chairing (the) veterans affairs (committee), Shinseki heading the VA and Obama, we’re set to be heard on a scale in an unprecedented way,” Schatz said.
Asked how he thought Obama’s presidency might impact the islands, Hooser said, “It would be natural for him to look favorably on his home state when there is an opportunity to do so. He has a whole nation and world to look after, but I’m sure when decisions have to be made that involve Hawai‘i, he’ll take them under special consideration because it’s his birthplace and he has family that continues to live here.”
Carvalho indicated that conversations with Hawai‘i’s congressional delegation led him to believe the state would be receiving a significant chunk of the federal economic stimulus package, and said the three-day U.S. Conference of Mayors was the main reason for his visit to the east coast.
The conference provided the newly elected leader a chance to learn about issues faced by 250 or more of his counterparts nationwide. The struggling economy was often a topic of conversation.
“That’s what you hear wherever you go,” Carvalho said, adding that common suggestions from other mayors included, “pulling whatever resources together within your own county, being creative with how you budget, being prepared for the money that is going to come down (in the stimulus) and being ready to get the job done.”
Carvalho said he was joined at the conference by Hawai‘i’s other three mayors.
“We’re happy to be here. I’d like to be home, of course, but this is a great opportunity to witness this and be a part of history being made, and I can come home and share that with our people,” he said.
• Michael Levine, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or via e-mail at mlevine@kauaipubco.com
