Aloha Friends. Merry Christmas. Praying for a good 2014. This is part 1 of 2.

-January 4 HD17/18 monthly meeting Marian243@hawaiiantel.net

-January 11 Friends for Sam Slom Raiser Marian243@hawaiiantel.net

-January 15 State Legislative session opens

-January 16 HIRA Roadshow Windward www.hawaiirepublicanassembly.com

-January 22 March for Life, DC www.marchforlife.org

-January 23 Medved http://hira.hawaiideservesbetter.com/enews/hira_pauhana_121813.html

-January 25 Honolulu March for Life http://alohalifeadvocates.blogspot.com

-February 6 Reagan Birthday http://hira.hawaiideservesbetter.com/enews/hira_news_121013.html

-March 6-8 CPAC Washington DC www.conservative.org

There are many strong and energy-filled conservatives and Republicans in Hawaii. Thank you. The Hawaii Republican Party can be better.

–Reagan’s Birthday celebration, $75/ticket. ACU’s Al Cardenas headlines www.conservative.org, Ken Schoolland, more. http://hira.hawaiideservesbetter.com/enews/hira_news_121013.html and https://www.facebook.com/HawaiiRepublicanAssembly. Coverage http://www.hawaiireporter.com/tickets-on-sale-now-hawaiis-ronald-reagan-freedom-and-liberty-dinner/123

-HRP FEC www.fec.gov November receipts drop 30% to $7,793. With receipts DOWN, disbursements are UP 33% to $17,225. Another month in the RED. CoH drops to 27.1k, which includes 7k fenced for mortgage and counties. HRP has only one-month’s operating expenses. NO reduction of the $20.4k debt. Only 34 sustaining members of Chang’s planned 400: 1 of 4 county chairs, 6/14 Exec Cmte members and down to 3/51 district chairs. When leaders won’t buy in, don’t expect others to do so. Expenditures include $1500 mortgage, 677 copy machine, 2593 building maintenance, 1886 IMS accounting, Burebe’s 3088 salary and Parsons’ 2609 (also a 845 UAL flight), plus 1400 payroll tax+751 health insurance. Party of fiscal responsibility in debt for 38 consecutive months, Chang’s entire term. HRP debt increased 43% since May. HRP was in the red 8 of the 11 months of 2013. Overall for 2013, HRP is in the red 34k… plus they carry 20k of debt. C/H/L asking for an RNC bailout knowing each dollar to keep HRP afloat means a dollar not winning the US Senate majority. Suggest: Spend less, raise more.

–HRP says they have candidates, paid staff and renewed member interest. That makes the FEC report that much more disappointing. Rs don’t believe Chang, Helriech and HRP HQ.

-We report receipts, not contributions. November receipts, for example, were $7,793. Contributions, donor $ to the FEC account, were only $4,043 and the other HALF ($3,750) came from the RNC because HRP can’t pay their staff. We use the bigger number to give the benefit of the doubt.

-HRP note in FEC report. “There are no expenditures or disbursements for public communications that refer to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office or that promote, support, attack or oppose any candidate for Federal office. There are no public communications that contain express advocacy. There is no portion of any expenditure made on behalf of a specifically identified Federal candidate.“ i.e. no communicating, no message, no relevance.

-FEC Fun. FEC report consists of pages of individual donations and expenses. More donations + more expenditures = long reports, little activity = short report. We looked at the average length of HRP reports for years similar to 2013 i.e the year before an off-year election. 2005’s 12 monthly FEC reports averaged 40 pages. For 2009, they averaged 45. Under Chang/Hellriech/Liu, the 2013 HRP FEC reports average 36 pages, which is the least by-far of the past nine years.

–Infighting. The past two years, Chang floundered and February’s Lincoln Day Dinner was late – April 16 one year and April 20 (Hitler’s Birthday) in 2012. This year, HRP announced LDD for February, though lack of a speaker may cause a date change. Meanwhile, the HQ mortgage is $142k. For months, we warned that Capital Campaign mortgage funds were at critical levels: now, only two month’s worth. CC responded – highlighting continued HRP infighting. Hellriech’s CC waited until HRP announced their LDD event and THEN rolled out a similar event, in competition with and less than one month before HRP’s LDD. Reader “Definitely going to cut into Lincoln sales. Looks like direct competition, with both the pricing and the host committee.“ LDD wants a whopping 150/ticket and does not yet have a speaker. CC is asking the highest price we’ve seen at 175/ticket and offers another (though repeatedly well-deserved) tribute to Saiki who served in congress from 1987-1991, with Saiki as the headliner. Another sign of HRP divide, CC email is from Hellriech’s personal, not party, email address. Suggest: get a Committeewoman who hurts HELPS the party.

-HRP revenues WILL rise with the two events. LDD record net is $400k, and in Aiona-Lee years, HRP netted 225-300k/year. Chang refuses to provide fundraiser net earnings, so we won’t know the net until the summer CSC report (Monthly FEC report gives an idea). Chang/Hellriech/Liu’s past two LD events netted <100k each, last year C/H/L were <60k. HRP goal should be to net 150k+ to keep the lights on (according to Berube), without any electioneering. Don’t bet on Chang to meet the HRP goal. Hellriech is soliciting the same donors for her CC event immediately before LDD. CC’s summer garage sale netted <7k. However, the ’11 Greenwood event netted nearly 100k. CC needs to net 40k+, possible by Hellriech cutting corners without a mainland speaker. Hellriech should make her CC goal … to the detriment of LDD and Republican candidates. Suggest: Good luck to HRP and CC.

–Ask the CC cmte. Hellriech (HRP NCW), Marumoto, Johanson (House leader), Sandy Fong, Cindy Sue Clark (fmr county chair), Helen Kekuna, Kitty & Roland (district chair) Lagareta. Betty Liu (as in ‘where is HRP NCM Ted?’), Pechaeur (HRP vice chair), and Thomas (OLWR Pres). Ask THEM why they put their event less than a month before the HRP event.

-CC collects funds for the mortgage. HRP collects money to collect money. In CY13, HRP was invisible, more so during Special Session, they lost more district chairs, they remain integrity-challenged and in debt. HIRA and, for example, Hawaii Christian Coalition used resources to challenge SSM.

-Reader “A guy claiming to represent [Hawaii] Republican Party thanked me for my $40 last year and asked me to give more.  My answer, “I am conservative but no longer a Republican. I am a founder of the xxxx Tea Party, does that tell you anything?”  There was a long pause, and then he went “uhh — heh, heh” and hung up.  I know the official stance of the GOP on the Tea Party.“

-I don’t necessarily agree with ALL the readers’ comments: Reader (about Fukumoto/Cheape/Johanson joining Ds Millennium Group) “Oh my God! Ah, to be YOUNG and stupid again.“ “Only 30 sustaining donors? The goal being 400? Is that normal?“ “Where is the outrage about Obamacare? Where is the education from the Republican Party?  Who are the Republican candidates running for Congress and where do they stand?  What about our state legislators, and Republican candidates — what are they doing to monitor HMSA and Kaiser Permanente?“ “little hope for the current HRP with no light on the horizon“ ”[OLRW Thomas] did talk about the [CC] event. Stressed it. Begged people to consider it even if they’ve never participated in anything like it before.“ “I would like to retract my republican status. I need the procedure to get out of party.“ “I do not want more liberal/progressives…seems the Republican Party doesn’t care. WHO are they supporting in 2014? Who is running against Schatz? WHERE is the outreach to the community, schools, colleges?“ “The “longstanding tradition” Chang should be referring to is doing a bunch of nothing, wasting a bunch of money, and then losing every two years.“ “[Oahu Cnty Rohlfing] needs to get involved.  He should be publicly humiliated for the disconnect between his campaign promises and his performance as county chair.“ “Check this Civil Beat article, Thielens’ are kissing o’kole with Obummer.“ “Reading [Chang’s newsletter] lies about “many new members” only undermines my spirit for Christmas. Sadly the only thing I hear is members leaving.“ “[Chang] is a snake and will lie to your face!“ Brown “our son and his family recently lost their insurance because it didn’t comply with Obamacare.  They got a new policy.  Don’t worry that it costs nearly twice as much for less coverage; the bonus is that 4-yr old Joey now has full maternity coverage.“ “I walk to the right of the GOP and I want no countenance with RINO groups or individuals, including Hellrich.“

-HRP promised district member lists, by precinct, for caucus meetings. Another year, still inaccurate district lists and no precinct lists. District chair “Many Republicans living outside my district would be notified of the wrong meeting.  Many who should be notified are not on the list.“ HRP missing 37% district & 96% precinct chairs. Few are active. Three weeks to go, meetings aren’t organized or announced.

-In May, Chang promised a July Platform meeting to review Convention resos which were not passed. As of the end of December, Cmte chair Moses doesn’t know who is on the Cmte.

-Fourteen months into the election cycle and nine months after Hellriech wrote “the need to use massive voter registration drives in all states to increase our chances of winning local and national elections.” No state voter registration drive, not county, not one district. Suggest: do something.

-Continued lack of integrity by leadership to address the five Rs – Theilen, Carroll, McDermott, Pine Fenton – who endorsed Ds against Rs in the last election. Add this to the list of items the State Cmte is too timid to address. Suggest: have integrity.

-Eleven months since the required financial audit was to be conducted. Suggest: follow your rules.

-Reader “Chang kept the party neutral, so [Fukumoto] et al have maximum flexibility.  Chang kept the party silent, so [Fukumoto] and the rest don’t seem wrong on the issues.  Chang kept the party irrelevant, which makes the House caucus seem like major power players by comparison. Chang probably tells anybody that calls headquarters to donate to Fukumoto (like [Kaauwai/Nonaka] did for Chang, back when he was the overrated darling candidate in 2010).“

–Where is vice chair Ready? Coordinated Campaign? Phoenix cmte (all three people) accomplished little. Chang is responsible but HRP vice chairs don’t do anything. Most never start to work, a couple lasted a month. Ready made it five months. Yim, Coalitions? Chong Kee, Community service? Pechaeur, Candidates? Mukk, Communications? Ready, Phoenix or Voter Registration?

-‘emeritus’ Ward sends a 16 year-old intern, pleasant boy, to represent him at NB and HRP meetings. Another reason no one takes Rs seriously.

–House R Caucus endorsed Abercrombie’s last bloated and wasteful budget. Aber’s supplemental budget is a 2.4% increase. Ask House Rs to NOT endorse it this time. Aber’s response to giving the “surplus” funds (ie what YOU were overcharged) back to taxpayers “I realize that [giving the money back to you] passed [the legislature] but it had more to do with political fashion of the moment. `Oh yes, if there’s extra money, let’s not let the government keep it,’ “That’s a very shallow way of looking at it.” EXTRA? Tell that to families trying to make it to next month.

-Trend. No one representing HRP, C/H/L or otherwise, testified at SSM. None attended their only US Senate candidate announcement. None attended the post-SSM organizing meeting. You get the idea.

-Flash mob. USAF didn’t let sequestration stop the message. You must watch 6½ min. Embrace the words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gIoSga7tZPg

-Prayers to Tax Foundation of Hawaii Kalapa’s family. We’ll miss him.

End Part 1. Part 2 tomorrow.

 

ARE YOU SATISFIED? HRP needs leadership focused on HRP.

 

Willes

Last five: Eleven Months/ More Than You Think/ Shutdown/ Transition/ Slow News Month