Last night was the West Oahu 2010 Republicans Chili and Candidate Night. The event took place at the Child and Family Service Rec Room in Ewa. Honolulu Coffee Party Examiner, Ryan Adverderada was among those present. Here is his review of the night’s proceedings:
The West Oahu 2010 Republican Fundraiser was held on Wednesday, August 25.
It was easy to spot the venue for the Republican fundraiser. At least two dozen signs of the candidates participating in the fundraiser were left posted near the entrance to the rec center. Attendees had the option of prepaying for a ticket online or offering a donation at the door. All of the attendees were given name tags and were asked for basic contact information. After working my way past the sign up area, there was a table specifically for campaign literature. The various fliers, mailers, and brochures featured the candidates who were in attendance.
The night officially began at around 6:15PM with a welcome from State House Representative, Kymberly Pine. Rep. Pine is the Dist. 43 Representative from Ewa Beach and was the host for the event. After a quick prayer, the attendees were pointed into the direction of the chili dinner. There was homemade chili, cookies, cake and drinks provided. The presentations began with a very special guest, United States Congressman, Charles Djou. Djou captivated the partisan crowd with his high energy level and anti-government sentiments. The congressman spoke repeatedly of the large debt of the nation and the need to reign in spending. He also implored the attendees to get involved within their communities to ensure a GOP sweep of the Leeward coast of Oahu. Djou’s words about fiscal responsibility would be a reoccurring theme throughout the night.
Tito Montes had the unenviable task of following Congressman Djou. The Dist. 20 Senate hopeful discussed his past as an analyst for the United States Navy. Montes explained his decision to run as a citizen who grew tired of broken government and wanted to make a difference. The Navy analyst presented his focus on the economy, education and government efficiency. Montes used a slide show to explain how the current legislature has used taxes to handcuff local families and businesses. He ended his time by imploring the need for government to be fiscally responsible with the money of its citizens.
Longtime Ewa advocate, Tom Berg(pictured right) hopes to topple his former boss, Rida Cabanilla in November.
Dist. 42 challenger, Tom Berg stepped up to the microphone and discussed the need for the government to search out public/private partnerships instead of only relying on federal funding for transportation projects. Berg has served the last two years as the office manager for Rep. Kymberly Pine and previously spent time working for Dist. 42 Representative Rida Cabanilla, and Dist. 20 Senator Will Espero. Berg has been a fierce advocate for the Ewa Plains for the last decade and has served on the Ewa Neighborhood Board since 2003. The Republican challenger discussed the need for a strong partnership with the area’s politicians to ensure the funding for projects would not be moved away. Berg pointed to the proposed Hoopili development and the lack of road planning as another poor job done by the Democratic legislature.
Lieutenant Governor candidate, Adrienne King gave a rousing speech on the failings of the perceived “tax and spend” mentality of Hawaii Democrats. King told the story of a local coffee business trying to create an eco-tourism area on the neighbor islands of Hawaii, only to be denied during the permitting process. King implored the crowd to get involved and support local Republicans in an attempt to balance the playing field in Hawaii.
The final speaker of the night was Kapolei Senate candidate, Aaron Bonar. A former CIA analyst, Bonar discussed his experience in tracking the money flow of foreign governments and their attempts to hide the money. Bonar described how the budget of the government is made to look complicated to confuse the average person in order to hide the amount of money really being spent. The Senate hopeful explained how a series of small percentage taxes would be the equivalent of one large tax and how the government uses this to trick citizens. Bonar ended with a plea to everyone in attendance to take a closer look at the government and to decide if the current path is really what Hawaii needs.
Rep. Kymberly Pine hosted the Republican fundraiser.
The festivities were wrapped-up by Rep. Pine as she thanked all the candidates and the crowd of nearly a hundred. Although the night had officially ended, both the candidates and the attendees stayed in the rec center to mingle and discuss ideas and the issues.
The night must be deemed as a success for the West Oahu Republicans. The gathering was designed to be intimate yet still drew a near full house. The candidates were able to present their cases and to gain support within the community. It will be interesting to see how well the candidates perform in the upcoming community forums leading up to the November election. One thing remains certain, the Democrats of the Ewa Plains have some serious competition on their hands and had better take notice. It would not surprise this Ewa resident if the area began seeing red in November.
For more from Ryan Adverderada, please follow him on Twitter or check out the Honolulu Coffee Party Examiner page.
*If any candidate or party would like to promote a fundraiser similar to this one, please contact us with the information. Also, if any candidate or party would like to submit an article or editorial to be published here, please let us know. Desperate America Report takes pride in being fair and honest with the citizens of Hawaii and this great country.
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