Hawai`i's 2nd Congressional District has got to be the toughest seat to serve in, at least from the standpoint of physical endurance. Not only are we the greatest distance from Washington, D.C., we are spread out among seven populated islands (plus Kaho`olawe, which is being prepared for rehabitation after decades of being used as target practice). So, once our Representative steps off a big jet and arrives back home, she has to jump in a smaller plane to island hop throughout the district. We are lucky to have someone as tireless as Mazie Hirono holding this seat. We are also lucky to have someone as committed to local, progressive causes as Mazie. Please follow below the fold for a brief report on some of her recent travels and some of her recent legislative initiatives.
Let's start in reverse chronological order. Mazie just flew back to D.C. today (Monday). She began the day before I was awake with an in-studio interview with the Honolulu NBC affiliate. She spent the holiday weekend meeting with constituents, leading the Obama contingent in the Kailua Fourth of July parade on the Island of O`ahu, and enjoying a bit of family time with her mom, husband, and cat.
Before the weekend activity, she journeyed to Iraq.
During this morning's interview, she talked about her experience there.
Mazie Hirono - Most people know by now I have been against the war on Iraq since the very beginning and we've been given conflicting kinds of information. First of all you know, the President has said the war is not going well so we need to keep our troops there, and now the war is going better so we need to keep our troops there. I needed to go there to see for myself what kind of conditions are troops are operating in. . . .
Kristine Uyeno - So what kind of conditions did you see?
Mazie Hirono - You can't imagine how hot it is there for one thing, and they have sand storms, but of course it's a very dangerous it's a war zone. The good thing was that General Petraeus said that the violence has gone down. When we had our briefing with him, I said well that should mean that we should be able to be bringing our troops home safely, sooner.
Kristine Uyeno - Speaking of the troops how is there morale?
Mazie Hirono - There morale is good. I had a chance to meet with a number of our people from Hawaii. That was really a special thing for me. I asked them, "How are you doing?" and are you getting the kind of support, armor and all of that. There morale was high, so there is no question that are troops are doing what we've asked them to do. Now we need to make some tough and decisive political decisions. I believe that the right course is for us to have a strategy to bring our troops home safely from Iraq.
Kristine Uyeno - What else did you tell them? What was your message there?
Mazie Hirono - To thank them, mainly, I was very impressed with their professionalism, their commitment. Those of us in Congress have said that we support the troops, we are against the President's policies and how he is conducting this war. It's been a tragedy. But we support the troops, that was my message to them also to thank them for the job that they are doing. But I did mention to them that I would like to bring them home safely. I believe the troops that I talked to, you know they would not object to that.
The full text and video are available here:
http://www.khnl.com/...
Before embarking for Iraq, Mazie scored a legislative victory by getting her PRE-K Act passed out of the Education Committee (a particularly impressive victory for a freshman). Because she does her homework and has such a commitment to education, Mazie has quickly developed the trust and respect of veteran Education Chairman George Miller. Chairman Miller allowed Mazie to chair a committee meeting (another impressive milestone for a freshman) and help to shepherd her legislation through the committee.
Her efforts have been widely lauded:
Report from KGMB9 News:
"A Bill that can improve the quality of early childhood education across the country passed a major hurdle Thursday. The PRE-K Act, authored by Congresswoman Mazie Hirono will help states improve the quality of preschool programs. The Bill will provide $500 million in grants to increase the number of qualified pre-school teachers to improve student to teacher ratios and to help keep schools open longer."
Statement from Pre-K Now:
"We heartily congratulate Congresswoman Hirono for her leadership on this issue! The committee’s bipartisan approval of her bill, Providing Resources Early for Kids Act (the PRE-K Act) is a huge win for America’s children and families."
Mazie has two other plum committee assignments: Small Business and Transportation.
In the Small Business Committee, she's been looking out for the interests of job creators in Hawai`i while also challenging the often-baseless assertions of some national business lobbyists who seek unwarranted corporate welfare and trickle-down economics. In the Transportation Committee, she's been working to help Hawai`i's growing communities mitigate traffic congestion and develop alternatives to automobile transportation.
As a result of her consistently progressive positions, she's been ranked in the top five of the Progressive Punch rankings throughout her first term in Congress. Considering that her predecessor was a Blue Dog, I'm particularly pleased with this fine record! She's also Vice-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. A great team player and coalition builder, she's fighting the good fight and working with colleagues on the environment, on civil liberties, on veterans, and on labor.
Another coup for a freshman was getting appointed to the House Democracy Assistance Commission, which has taken Mazie to several foreign countries, including Mongolia and Japan.
Already a highly sought speaker on the national Democratic scene, Mazie has supported the party and her causes by speaking in California, in Nevada, and at last month's D.C. fundraiser for the Asian American Action Fund.
But it's her work with, and on behalf of, the people within her far-flung, largely rural district that most impresses me - and that matters most to her. (HI-02 encompasses all of Hawai`i except the urban core of O`ahu.)
We might be the most demographically diverse district in the nation. Almost all races, cultures, religions, and ethnicities are well represented here. We're farmers, hospitality-industry professionals, educators, public servants, and artists. Some of us live near the beach, some of us live in the mountains, some of us live in towns - we all face just about the highest cost of living in the nation and an economy that is probably not as broad and vibrant as we'd like. We're all trying to get along and make paradise truly exist for all - with the Aloha Spirit as our guide. Mazie is an ideal person to bring our local values to D.C. She's equally comfortable and respectful with military personnel, kids, teachers, and other local folks. And she's working to improve educational opportunities for everyone (including Native Hawaiians), protect our natural beauty, support artistic expression, and embrace tolerance and diversity.
Did I mention we're lucky to have her?
Of course, she's the first to say that she's privileged to serve us. And I have to admit, she does have some cool constituents - such as Willie Nelson, W.S. Merwin, Woody Harrelson & Laura Louie, the Gabby Reece & Laird Hamilton family, Raiatea Helm, and Willie K. Oh, and it is a nice place to come home to.
Aloha!