for those of you not in the know, that’s State Central Committee.  communist party?  not so much….  the state central committee is the, some days more than others, the governing body of the party.  by a very rough count, it’s comprised of 80, or so people: two from every state senate district.

who cares?  i do.

eight years ago, i got a fix, a high.  and not from drugs, at least not in this context.  i watched, transfixed, as the results came in from the presidential contest between george w. bush and al gore.  gore won, technically, but the debacle and media circus that ensued got me interested in politics.  admittedly, it was a casual interest.  it came along at a time in my life when i wasn’t quite prepared to be interested in anything but myself.  then i read the people’s history of the united states, by howard zinn, and my eyes were opened.

sure, i knew that columbus didn’t really discover america.  sure i knew we done horrible things in the name of democracy, but this book presented a history of this country that i’d never heard before.  it’s a history from the perspective, more or less, of the minority, the worker, the woman, the underdog.  i was shocked and appalled, and couldn’t do nothing any longer….  and then i heed and hawed for a year: to join the democrats, or the greens?

in a principled, perfect world, i would have chosen the greens, but this is neither a principled or perfect world, at least not yet (idealized and foolish optimism?  maybe).   the reality is, we live in a country dominated by the two-party system.  in reality, if you want to be effective, if you want to make a difference certain few and practical compromises are a necessity.  in the lesser-of-two-evils system, the democrats are the way to go.

so i jumped in with both feet.  i joined the progressive democrats of hawaii two years ago and my journey through the political system began.  all the things i’ve been able to do since has come as a direct result of my involvement with pdh.  i’m not so humble as to admit i haven’t worked hard (which feels odd to say), but the founders of pdh brought me in from the political wilderness and showed me how to get involved without have to eat a lot of shit and without having to give up my principles.  and to this day, i still feel that’s true.  sure, in the last several months i’ve begun to make a name for myself, on my own, but i honestly feel i never would have been able to do it without first learning the basics from a handful of smart and dedicated people in pdh.

anyone who considers themselves a good, staunch, principled, and idealistic liberal should consider joining….

i’m running for the scc because i feel like it’s the next logical step for me, for my ability to do the work, to learn, and to make my way up the party ranks.  i’ll admit no undying devotion to the party, in the vein of full disclosure.  but i do have a strong faith and hope for the democratic party of hawaii.  so many of the people i’ve met and had the privilege to work with are good people who, though we don’t always agree on the issues or the best path, believe in the promise of the democratic party of hawaii.

i want to do my part to make this party better and stronger and i think the state central committee is the place where i can best strive for that goal.

it’s not just the party i believe in.  in all the places i’ve lived, visited, heard, and read about, the hawaiian islands hold for me a unique beauty and special quality that i can’t quite put my finger on.  among the repetitive grind of daily life, i’m regularly and often struck by a feeling that can be described by a simple statement; i love it here.  i love the people, the ocean, the koolaus, the culture, the beach, the lush greenery, the history….

i’m frustrated and saddened by the circumstances in which native hawaiians find themselves.

i’m frustrated and saddened by the environmental calamity this special place is likely to face if we don’t act now.

i’m frustrated and saddened by the exorbitantly high cost of housing and the plight of those without homes.

i’m frustrated and saddened by the damage, perhaps irreversible, the military does and has done to these waters and these islands in the name of national defense.

i understand the sensitive nature of these issues.  i understand i’m a haole from the mainland who’s only been here a handful of years.  and i understand that countless people, including native hawaiians, have been fighting these battles much, much, much longer.  i want to learn, to the best of my ability, from those good people that have come before me, so i can do my part to protect, for future generations, all the things i love about this place.

i’m running for the scc because i want to do more to make things better and i think the democratic party of hawaii is one of many organizational vehicles which can make things better.