I had really hoped we were done with this guy:
Former Democratic Rep. Ed Case, who finished third in last year's special House election, announced his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Hawaii Sunday, releasing a video to supporters.
"I'm running for the Senate because I believe we can and must do better, and that our Hawaii offers a better way forward for our country," he says in his announcement video. ...
Case becomes the first official entrant into the state's first open seat Senate contest since 1990.
Case is in fact coming off two straight losses, plus an embarrassing yank on the rip-cord. In 2006, he united the Hawaii political establishment against him when he challenged now-retiring Sen. Dan Akaka in the Democratic primary, losing 54-45. He then tried to stage a comeback last year, as Dave Catanese notes, splitting the vote with Colleen Hanabusa in a 1st CD special election prompted by now-Gov. Neil Abercrombie's resignation. This allowed Republican Charles Djou to win with just 39% - despite an arrogant attempt by the DCCC to intervene on Case's behalf. (The D-Trip insisted, without evidence, that Hanabusa was unelectable - even though the entire establishment was once again united against Case.) After the special, Case said he'd challenge Hanabusa in the Dem primary for the regular election last November, but dropped out just days later, probably realizing he'd get smoked in the primary. As a final coda, Hanabusa beat Djou in the general, showing just how misguided the DCCC's interference was.
As I say, I would have thought this track record would have been enough to put an end to Case's political ambitions, but ambition is what defines Ed Case - ambition, and douchiness. Case is truly a Dem in the DLC mold. Most notoriously, when he was running for Congress in 2002, he said he would have voted for the Iraq war resolution - and as late as 2006, he voted (and spoke) in favor of an open-ended military commitment in that country. He's also been a regular supporter of anti-progressive legislation like the bankruptcy bill and the PATRIOT Act. In short, Hawaii can - and should - do a lot better than Ed Case. Indeed, his recent track record at the polls shows that Hawaiians already know this.
But I'm a bit concerned, because Case has been making amends with the other Dan - Sen. Dan Inouye, the dean of Hawaii politics. Case says he called Inouye last month to "apologize," though exactly what he was apologizing for wasn't clear. (Inouye took Case's run against his buddy Akaka quite personally, it seemed.) And after Case dropped out of the HI-01 race last year, Inouye termed him a "real Democrat," though I remain convinced Case bailed in order to avoid a third straight defeat, not because he was being a team player. So Case might no longer be the outcase he once was. Fortunately, Dems have quite a strong progressive bench in the state, so I'm hopeful someone like 2nd CD Rep. Mazie Hirono will step in and mop the floor with Case - soon. |
