It’s the last Sunday in
November and time
to “flASHback” on the month’s news that amused and confused:
>> U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard called President Donald Trump “Saudi Arabia’s bitch” after he excused its prince in the murder of a journalist. It had all the moral authority of a legislator who cozied up to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad
after he nerve-gassed his people.
>> Her tweet caused international awkwardness when the comment reached Russia. Vladimir Putin thought Trump was all his.
>> Gabbard followed in the potty-mouth footsteps
of U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, who made headlines by accusing Republicans of “bullsh*t” and declaring, “F*** them.” The Aloha State is fast becoming known as The @#$&*%! State.
>> Gov. David Ige, who was considered political toast after January’s false nuclear missile scare, defied the odds and swept to a
second term. It was a hair-raising journey from dead duck to lame duck.
>> The governor now must battle state legislators who supported his opponent in the Democratic primary. It shapes up as an epic showdown of Bad vs. Worse.
>> Ige’s 29-point victory margin over Republican Andria Tupola was a new low for the local GOP. Forget winning, Hawaii Republicans can’t even cover the over/under anymore.
>> Kurt Fevella of Ewa Beach was the only Republican to gain a seat in the state Senate but bravely
offered, “I don’t feel that because I’m a Republican I’m alone.” Unless the barracuda in the Capitol pond is
a Republican, he’s alone.
>> University of Hawaii quarterback Chevan Cordeiro said, “No, no, no, I’m not a hero,” after throwing three touchdown passes in a Warriors comeback win. It was
a refreshing change from Democratic legislators acting like heroes after winning re-election unopposed.
>> House Speaker Scott Saiki said he’ll become more inclusive by expanding the number of majority whips
to nine. Our Legislature gets more S&M every year.
>> Councilman Trevor Ozawa eked out re-election over Tommy Waters by
22 votes and praised himself as “an independent, strong, passionate voice for my district.” That’s a fancy definition of “whiny.”
>> Billionaire Bill Gates hopes to solve Hawaii’s cesspool problem with a
futuristic toilet that produces fertilizer that doesn’t smell or carry disease. It sounds like more of a solution to our political problem.
>> “Jaws” won out as Hawaii’s favorite horror movie in a survey by Cabletv.com. In light of our dismal 52 percent election turnout, I’m surprised it wasn’t “The Silence of the Lambs.”
And the quote of the month … from rail CEO Andrew Robbins on demands by rail car provider Ansaldo Honolulu JV for $200 million in delay costs: “We’re not at the point yet where we’re
really even talking about numbers to any great detail. We’re still talking about concepts.” Concepts like extortion, highway robbery and an arm and a leg.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
