ajfortin.com » Hawaii

Hawaii is in Love with Obama

Fred Fortin — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:21:09 +0000

By overwhelming numbers, with an over 3 to 1 margin, Hawaii Democrats embraced Obama yesterday in caucuses across the state as their choice for President. Despite the confusion, lack of ballots, long lines and hours of frustration, the desire to support “Barry” (his Hawaii Punahou high school name) was too strong and could not be denied. All of this in the face of significant support of Clinton by Hawaii’s beloved and long time political leader, Senator Dan Inouye and many of Hawaii’s strong unions.

As Obama’s “home state”, national pundits figured correctly that Hawaii would line up behind him. But here on the ground in Honolulu, all was not too clear about what would happen. That anxiety — that indifference may lead to a Clinton victory — probably fueled the extraordinary caucus turnout for Obama. In any event, the arcane and indecipherable caucus system was simply flattened by the rush. One big winner riding on the Obama victory was Congressman Neil Abercrombie a highly visible and vocal supporter of Obama.

All, in all, it was an amazing day, one that could change the political landscape not only in Washington, but in the islands as well.

WHCB: “A National Private Health Care Market Place: Feeding Reform to the Big Dogs”

Fred Fortin — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:19:27 +0000

“The Wall Street Journal, and at least one major republican presidential contender want to create a national private health insurance market place as part of any reform. In an editorial last year on market-based health care reform proposals offered up by AHIP, the WSJ argued in favored of creating a private national insurance option. They complained that “the current system is a special interest anachronism in this age of Internet and global commerce,” and that we should “let the markets work” presumably at a national level rather than through 50 sets of state regulations.”

See my entire post over at the World Health Care Blog

Visit My New Photo Blog

Fred Fortin — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:20:55 +0000

South Point, Big Island, Hawaii

I just want to let readers know that I’ve created a new photo blog. As you may have guessed, photography has been an obsession of mine for many years. So if the images you’ve seen on this site have interested you, then I think you’ll really like this new blog. The posting has just started so stay tuned.

“Smoking with Aloha” Campaign: No Comment

Fred Fortin — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:09:58 +0000

This new campaign to promote Hawaii as a Japanese tourist destination just speaks for itself.

Flossie Threatens Hawaii: Amateur Radio Still on Alert

Fred Fortin — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:39:13 +0000

Hunkering down in Honolulu and waiting to see if Hurricane Flossie expected in a few days gives us a run for our money. The reports are that it will weaken before it hits the islands. The skies outside are still blue and beautiful. Many years ago like my father before me, I became a licensed amateur radio guy so my trusty little hand-held radio sits nearby with charged batteries. I found that in the last major event we had (an earthquake) that took out electrical power, I knew what was going on long before the TV and radio stations got their act together by tuning in to other hams (amateur radio lingo) who were connected to the emergency response service system. And during Hurricane Iniki in 1992 which hit the island of Kauai very hard, amateur radio operators played a crucial role in reestablishing emergency communications. Despite the communications takeover by Internet and cell phones, amateur radio lives on and hams are there when you need them. One thing though — Hurricane Flossie? I can’t tell you how many ridiculous images that name has deployed in my imagination.

Obama Moves Cautiously on Health Care

Fred Fortin — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 06:49:07 +0000

First an admission: Hawaii (where I’m writing from) has a special connection to Barack Obama. He was born here in 1961, left for a while, and then returned at the age of 10 to attend Punahou School, a private school (where my own son attended). So if I am less than critical about his candidacy for the Presidency or on his positions, just chalk it up to a friendly local bias. But putting that confession aside, and stating for the record that I’m not necessarily or unconditionally a fan of his, I think Obama is approaching health care in exactly the right way.

Let’s do a quick review of the facts. Over the past few months in stump speeches from New Hampshire to Iowa, Obama’s been clear that he wants affordable health care for all Americans. At the same time he’s been cautiously working–or at least saying he’s working–to forge a national consensus. He’s noted “that in previous campaigns, presidential candidates have offered detailed proposals without building that political support, only to see the issue fade after the election.”

Commentators have been trying to figure him out, feeling that maybe this is a simply a feigning to the right, and that his single payer sympathies will eventually win out. Others think him hypocritical, or worse yet, hopelessly naive.

But I’m going to take him at his word–that is he is genuinely trying to come up with a national approach we can all get behind. My view is that Obama is smart enough to see health care is just too important to quickly jump to the traditionally divisive and ideological “partisan” solutions.

At least I hope so. The proof of this leap-of-faith will be in how quickly he comes to a policy conclusion, and what that conclusion is. Should he waffle, and decide to fall on the single payer sword, let the bells ring and the boxing begin. But let’s all hope his pragmatic approach reframes the national debate, and moves the country to a national policy for the uninsured that provides excellent coverage and doesn’t break what’s right about the existing system. The country, Hawaii and Punahou deserve no less.