ELECTIONS, HAWAII, AD WATCH

Ad Watch: GOP Wants Voters to Link Ige to

Abercrombie
The Republican Governors Association is targeting David Ige in new ads to help
Duke Aiona.
SEPTEMBER 16, 2014 By CHAD BLAIR

Editors Note: Its an election year and that means lots of political commercials. Ad Watch is an
occasional Civil Beat series in which we help you understand what youre seeing and hearing
when it comes to campaign messages from Hawaii candidates.
Forget the fact that David Ige toppled Neil Abercrombie in a historic landslide in the Democratic
primary for governor.
According to the Republican Governors Association, the state senator and the incumbent are
actually good partners. It is a partnership, however, that has brought Hawaii nothing but
financial woes, the RGA says.
Its no surprise the RGA would target Ige. The groups primary mission is to help elect Republicans
to governorships. But trying to tie Abercrombie to Ige strains credulity.

RGA

A screen shot from the RGAs Paradise Lost commercial praising Duke Aiona.

It is true that, as Democrats, the two men have a lot in common. But as the primary election
demonstrated, voters saw clear differences between the two candidates on taxing the pensions
of seniors, for example, or development in Kakaako and public money for private preschool.
One might also point out that, despite Abercrombies rejection, unemployment is low, tourism and
construction are humming along, and the states finances are in the black. While the state faces
many challenges, in key ways things are pretty stable.
But first, watch the political commercial in question, titled Paradise Lost. (Apologies to John
Milton.)

My first reaction to this clip is: Is that opening shot a picture of Tropical Storm Iselle striking
Hilo?
It turns out that Civil Beat is apparently to blame for the stormy sea imagery. The RGA cites one of
our articles Living Hawaii: Why Is the Price of Paradise So High? that asserts that Hawaiis
middle class is underwater.
So, thanks for the plug, RGA.
While its doubtful many voters will see Ige and Abercrombie as two peas in a pod, the RGA video
is effective on several fronts.
(One caveat: The RGAs attempt to link Abercrombie and Ige as partners is pretty lame and

(One caveat: The RGAs attempt to link Abercrombie and Ige as partners is pretty lame and
taken from a candidate ambush, as seen in this short clip.)
Compared with the independent ads that ran on behalf of U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz during the
primary season, extolling his record on environmental issues, this ad

ad has been a

has higher production values. Things really do look dark in this

commercial, until Duke Aiona comes along in the second half of the
spot and the sun shines again likes its Morning In Hawaii la Reagan
in 1984.

The RGA cannot coordinate directly with the candidate, but the footage of Aiona is strong and
taken from a GOP unity rally held at the Kapiolani Bandstand last month. The RGA has people on
the ground in Hawaii and they are keeping close tabs on their preferred candidates schedule.
The RGA rollout of the ad itself has been a professional production as well.
According to my Google Mail inbox, news of the ad came to me at 8:42 a.m. Monday, courtesy the
American Comeback Committee, an arm of the RGA.

Ige and Abercrombies Failed Leadership

In that email, spokeswoman Stacy Day said, Just weeks ago, Hawaii voters soundly rejected
Governor Neil Abercrombies failed agenda, and all his good partner Democrat David Ige offers is
more of the same misguided policies that have plagued Hawaii for the past four years.
Then, at 11:03 a.m. that same day, RGA Communications Director Gail Gitcho emailed a list of the
resources it used to support the Paradise Lost spot.
Governor Neil Abercrombie calls David Ige a good partner. Good partner? Together Ige and Gov.
Abercrombie led the way for over $800 million in higher taxes and fees, said Gitcho. Hawaii
voters deserve better after suffering under the failed leadership of Ige and Abercrombie.
Finally, at 1:10 p.m., just to make sure we got the message, Hawaii Republican Party
Communications Advisor Ted Kwong sent an email quoting a recent USA Today article:
Paradise is expensive. To live comfortably in Hawaii, youd need a salary of over $122,000, as
of late. Dinner and a movie in Honolulu will cost you around $75, which is a little high. Your
grocery bill may be on the higher end in this area as well, with the price of bread and eggs
averaging over $4 each. The median home value in Hawaii is $518,800 and the median list
price is a little higher at $525,000 ($420 per square foot). If you decide to rent, youre looking
payment of just under $2,000 per month, and thats if you pay the median price.

payment of just under $2,000 per month, and thats if you pay the median price.

, national
ness here.

This is not the RGAs first foray into the Ige-Aiona race. (Independent
Party candidate Mufi Hanneman and Libertarian Jeff Davis are also in
the running, but the RGA sees this as a two-candidate contest.)

Just two days after the Aug. 11 primary, the RGA said Iges election as
governor would merely represent the continuation of the failed record of Abercrombie. When Ige
canceled an appearance at a candidate forum sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on
Aug. 25, the RGA said he was ducking debates.
In case you are unclear, national Republicans mean business here. They believe Aiona has a real
shot at becoming only the second Republican to be elected governor of the state. Its a real
possibility: Two fresh public opinion polls one from The New York Times, CBS News and
YouGov.com, the other from Rasmussen Reports show Ige and Aiona in a dead heat with
Hanneman trailing far behind.
Which is precisely why the RGA ad, and others that may follow, might actually persuade voters to
go Aionas way. There is no single issue more important than Hawaiis growing cost of
living. Given that Democrats have controlled the state for nearly all of its existence, it is difficult
for the party to separate itself from that harsh reality.
Compared to the RGAs campaign, the Abercrombie campaign treated Ige with kid gloves. Because
of the pointed content in the political ad, I asked the Ige campaign for a comment on the attacks.
Heres what Ige had to say in an emailed statement:
Hawaiis primary election voters overwhelmingly agreed with me that we need a new
direction for the next four years. The Ige administration will chart a fresh future and not go
backwards to the failed FurloughFriday policies of the Aiona-Lingle years.
Note how Ige put Lingles name before Aionas. Guess he means to suggest that the Republicans
were good partners.

New Video from the Candidates

Speaking of Aiona, he has a new commercial titled A Vision for Hawaii, although it might better
be called Trust, Respect, Balance.
Those are the words that not only conclude this spot but are the watchwords the talking points,
the campaign themes, the primary messages of Aionas second run for governor.

the campaign themes, the primary messages of Aionas second run for governor.

And, while candidates cannot coordinate with so-called independent groups like the RGA, the
synergy found in ads from both can be striking.
In this ad, for example, Aiona harps on the same $800 million in new taxes and fees that is
highlighted in the RGA spot.
Watch the clip:

Aionas ads this election are polished little gems, featuring family members and sports. Its a
positive and complimentary contrast to the RGAs ads.
There is also a video for Hannemann, one that reminds viewers of his proposals to bring back the
Hawaii Superferry and return state authority over Kakaako to the city.
The ad, called No Same Old Same Old, is nothing fancy:

Finally, below is a YouTube video of the Sierra Clubs endorsement of Ige. Its nearly threeminutes long, its nothing special and it wont be playing on a television near you. But its one of
the most recent video promotion I know of for his candidacy.
Without a lot of money, Ige has not been able to pay for airtime. So, his campaign website lists
various clips of the candidate such as his visit to the recent Okinawan Festival in Kapiolani Park.
Ige, however, has stepped up his campaign fundraising schedule. He has held four events since the
Aug. 11 primary, has a fifth set for Tuesday in Washington, D.C., and a sixth back on Oahu on Oct.
2. So, expect more paid ads from the Democratic nominee.

About the Author

CIVIL BEAT STAFF

Chad Blair
Chad Blair is a reporter for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.com
or follow him on Twitter at @chadblairCB.

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Patricia Blair

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Top Commenter University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Ige and the Sierra Club YouTube Video is a winner.

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