Obama

The Obama phenomena was timely. We consider him a "favorite son," but many of us showed up in person to exercise our freedom as Americans. Some forces at play admittedly were reactionary against the incumbent political party, much as it had been in 1972 against Nixon.

The difference is that, even in Hawaii, today's political world is becoming more corporate, (witness "the Akaka bill," a proposal to incorporate "Hawaiian Indians"), and corporate "reality" is created by agreements at a meeting.

Two years ago a stand against the Republican Party could be regarded as a vote against a burgeoning U.S. military-Iraq oil corporate consortium spearheaded by an increasingly inarticulate president.

The Obama phenomena was the appearance of an articulate man who could run a meeting in the spirit of debate.
That was what we needed at the time.