This week, when all people could talk about was the impeachment inquiry, Congressman Ed Case turned to talk to the folks at home.

His office sent out an email to about 75,000 addresses on their newsletter subscription list. The letter described the congressman’s thought process leading up to this week and invited people to fill out a survey — anonymously— to share with him their thoughts on impeachment.

This should not be a remarkable thing, this business of asking the voters back home what they think about a monumental issue, but in a time when politicians are grandstanding, lecturing and, at times, manufacturing facts, a bit of two-way conversation does stand out as unusual. (Not to mention how Hawaii’s representative in the second district is famously uncommunicative and busy pursuing other interests.)

“Hawai’i residents have been very actively communicating their thoughts on potential impeachment to me throughout this year,” Case said in an email response. “I’ve been getting their input through all channels: personal meetings in DC and Hawaii, my 17 talk story community meetings, phone, email, and letter communications to my office, social media … and just people coming up to me out and around back home. Generally around two-thirds of folks I’ve heard from favor impeachment or the current inquiry and around one-third don’t.”

The email details the steps of impeachment and traces Case’s evolving view on the matter.

“I did not earlier favor a formal impeachment inquiry because I believed that we did not have sufficient information to launch that process and even very strong policy and political differences are not grounds for impeachment. However, the disclosures beginning in late September with the whistleblower’s complaint of the President’s actions on Ukraine raise very serious questions that I concluded Congress, as a separate, independent and co-equal branch of government, must review toward possible impeachment.”

Case lists those questions as:

>> Did the president ask a foreign leader to investigate his domestic political rival (former Vice President Joe Biden) for the purpose of influencing a domestic political campaign (the 2020 presidential election)?

>> Did the president withhold foreign aid and other assistance for the purpose of forcing the foreign leader to comply with his request for an investigation?

>> Did the president attempt to obstruct or otherwise interfere with a lawful whistleblower process?

>> Did the president obstruct Congress’ constitutional duty to review these matters?

The tone of national politics (and local politics, too) seems to be to loudly convince voters of a politician’s pre-decided position, to win over support, to control the narrative. Case is doing something different, and it shouldn’t stand out as unusual, but it does:

“This is the most important single decision I’ll ever make in elective office,” Case said. “It is my obligation under our Constitution to make it and I will do that. But it is also a critical decision for all Americans, and as the only voice for over 700,000 of us I believe I must have an honest and full two-way discussion with those I represent to both fully explain my thoughts and fully include their views in my decision. A press release is just one-way, what-you-did, but this was about talking with people, not to them.”

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.