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2008-11-06  News | | | | by Jacob Shafer | | |
November 06, 2008
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29
After a two-day rain delay, the longest World Series game in history finally came to an end, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Maui's own Shane Victorino on the right side of a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Victorino knocked in two runs in part one of the marathon contest before the inclement weather intervened. He enters the offseason with a WS ring and a strong position from which to negotiate a hefty pay raise. The bad news: now I don't have an excuse to watch baseball on the company dime…Rhetoric vs. reality: Superferry CEO Tom Fargo told The Maui News the company is in a "sound financial position." At the same time, plans to launch service between Oahu and the Big Island have been shelved at least until 2010, and there's that little matter of a pending date with the Hawaii Supreme Court. Wonder if Fargo has the same speechwriter as John "fundamentals of the economy are strong" McCain?
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30
This story slipped through the cracks last week, but it could have serious legs. An attorney who has locked horns with the county over TVRs is spearheading an effort to recall Mayor Tavares. The movement's still in the early stages and we'll see how far it gets, but it hasn't been squashed as of this writing. Whatever the merits of the claim, recalls are tricky things—while they're sometimes an effective mechanism for ejecting unworthy public officials, they can also allow interest groups with a narrow focus or a petty axe to grind to highjack the process, often with bad results. (See: California and the Governator.) Again, not necessarily saying this recall is entirely bogus, but caution should be the word of the day.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31
Just got back from a long night of revelry, er, reportage on Front Street and I'm not too proud to admit I should wait until morning to log my official report. I'm also probably going to have to spell-check the hell out of these two sentences.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1
So yes, Halloween in Lahaina. It happened, people came, the world didn't explode. The sidewalks were pretty packed and there were a few bars and restaurants turning folks away because they'd reached capacity. But several Front Street veterans tell me the crowd was nowhere near what it's been in the past. Business owners concurred, and had no kind words for the CRC. Keeping the street open to traffic was an especially boneheaded call (though credit is due to the cops on hand for neutralizing a potentially explosive equation—moving vehicles plus darkness plus stumbling drunks). In the end, after all the squabbling and buildup, the whole thing was a tad anticlimactic. It kind of felt like a surprise party where everyone shows up and hides behind the furniture, but the birthday girl never walks through the door. The real question is, now that the "What's gonna happen?" novelty has worn off, what will the party look like next year? And if the answer is: pretty dead, will Lahaina's business community be able to take the hit?…Another update on the "financially sound" Superferry: The vessel will be cutting back its Oahu-Maui trips and hiking some fares, as reported in yesterday's Maui News. Riders can get more info on the changes at www.hawaiisuperferry.com.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2
There was a time when I championed the third party cause and proudly voted Nader (yes, blame me). Eight years later, there's still a part of me that believes it'd be good for the health of our democracy to add another viable voice to the conversation. But man, the third parties we've got need to get their shit together. For the past several weeks I've been inundated with e-mails from the camps of Nader, Barr, Baldwin et al. First a debate is promoted, then comes word it's been cancelled over scheduling conflicts or will only feature a couple of the candidates because they can't all agree on a format. People—you're fragmented and marginalized as it is. This ridiculous infighting just pushes you closer to the brink of total irrelevancy. I'm reminded of the classic scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian in which the People's Front of Judea bickers endlessly with the Judean People's Front rather than their common enemy, the Romans. Except in that case it was funny; here it's just pathetic.
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| | | Madelyn Dunham (1922-2008) | |
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3
Just got word that Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, died last night on Oahu after a protracted battle with cancer. Dunham was by all accounts a strong and dynamic woman who, in addition to shaping the man who may well be the next President of the United States, rose up in the Hawaii banking industry at a time when her gender and even her race—she's Caucasian—put her at a disadvantage. Whether you support the Democratic nominee or not, that Dunham's death came two days before this historic election is undeniably, almost poetically sad. (And yes, time to eat a little crow for last week's entry, wherein I wondered whether Obama's recent visit to Grandma's bedside was a campaign stunt designed to generate sympathy. Cynicism, or at least skepticism, is an essential tool that every journalist has to keep sharp—but it cuts both ways.)
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Today's the day. It's really here! It's like Christmas morning and New Year's Eve and your 21st and 16th birthdays and your golden anniversary all rolled into one! I'm typing these words before the polls close even on the East Coast, but I'm prepared to make one intrepid prediction: this country is going to wake up tomorrow with a huge, throbbing electoral hangover. And the realization's going to sink in: different president-(elect), same big fucking mess. MTW
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