Backed by Obama, Hawaii Governor Ousted in Unprecedented Primary Loss

[LiberalElite]

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/backed-obama-hawaii-governor-ousted-unprecedented-primary-loss-n177141

-snip-
A 40-year political career came to a close after Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie lost his bid for a second term in a stunning primary-election defeat by a fellow Democrat and state senator who defied party leadership to challenge the incumbent. A second intraparty fight for U.S. Senate was too close to call.

State Sen. David Ige, once seen as an underdog, cruised to a decisive 35 percentage point win in Saturday's primary after being dramatically outspent by Abercrombie, who also had high-profile endorsements including President Barack Obama. Ige said his win "proves that people power can be money power, especially in Hawaii."
-snip-

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. Democracy in action.

With a 35 point win, it's pretty obvious who voters wanted. No candidate simply deserved to keep their seat simply because they've held it virtually forever.

[jmowreader]

2. This is Abercrombie's first term as governor. It's not his first office.

The gov thru 2010 was Linda Lingle.

[TeamPooka]

4. 4 years is "virtually forever"? Save your ignorant outrage and indignation pal.

He's a first term governor but why know the facts when writing online?

[mahina]

5. He was our congressman forever, in the state lege and city council before that.

He did a great job on equal rights. Other than that, if he was trying to alienate people he would've done nothing differently, from 8:00d day 1.
.

[TeamPooka]

6. I'm not defending the politician. Just the facts. He is a one term gov.

The poster did not say "long time politician" and make a correct argument
he said "No candidate simply deserved to keep their seat simply because they've held it virtually forever."
Which the Gov did not do.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

7. Guess what.

I'm neither outraged nor indignant. I was, in fact, ignorant of the fact that his '35 years in office' were not in that specific seat.

But it sounds like you're the one being 'outraged and indignant'. I was essentially simply shrugging my shoulders verbally in my comment.

[hedgehog]

3. I wonder if the turnout for this primary is any indication of general interest

and turnout in the fall election, or if this is purely a local event.

[Hekate]

8. I'd say it's local. The LA Times has an article today; also a discussion on NPR

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-how-hawaii-governor-lost-self-inflicted-wounds-20140810-story.html#page=1

You can read the Times article at the link -- apparently Abercrombie had a "combative" style better suited to legislative activity than the governorship, and he managed to alienate a lot of locals in what is a small state. The electorate split up along ethnic lines, with the most numerous group (Asian-Americans) turning against him.

My husband, who like me listens to NPR in the car, said they had a report today that emphasized the way Abercrombie dissed the memory of Senator Inouye by skipping over the Senator's hand-picked successor as an interim appointment (Colleen Hanabusa), up to and including questioning the death-bed letter Inouye wrote on the subject. The NPR reporter said that if there was a Mount Rushmore in Hawai'i, Daniel K. Inouye would be on it, and that was one of a series of bad moves.

[craigmatic]

9. Is this Obama's fault?

[otohara]

10. Yes According to Some Guy At

The Daily Beast.

Hawaii hates Obama.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/08/even-hawaii-hates-obama-now.html

Which is confusing because ABC/Wall St. Journal says America hates the GOP

[KamaAina]

11. Well, then, he must be from Kenya after all