What is the Obama ground operation like in Hawaii?

[bluestateguy]

Is either Obama or a top surrogate coming to Hawaii to campaign for him? What is the ground operation like in the state? Are they running a lot of ads? I just have a concern that they not get caught napping over there. NEVER get caught napping against the Clintons.

[FlyingSquirrel]

1. Wasn't Barack born in Hawaii?

And spent much of his childhood there? Would think he would not be neglecting that state.

[VolcanoJen]

2. I doubt Obama will be caught napping against that fierce Clinton ground game

;-)

That being said, I hear Obama's Hawaii organization is strong. His sister Maya is also campaigning for him there. And it never hurts to be a Favorite Son.

Hawaiian DUers, what's up out there? We're starving for news!

[MoJoWorkin]

3. His half-sister, Maya ,lives there and is campaigning for him.

She is a teacher, and is stunning.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

11. Here's a photo

of BO with his sister in Hawaii

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

4. Do they need any help?

I'd be happy to join up, as long as they pay my airfare and put me up in a hotel. Preferably the Four Seasons in Maui. And hopefully they won't expect me to do too much knocking on doors and stuff. I need to get my snorkling, surfing, laying on the beach, and frozen drink drinking in.

[hisownpetard]

5. Not familiar with "snorling." Is it anything like 'curling'?

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

6. heh

Typo -- I meant snorkling. I'm too chicken to SCUBA.

[hisownpetard]

12. Scuba is easy. I did it in Mexico (and I can't even swim. What an idjit I was, ya know?)

[Cha]

7. Here's youtube with Obama's sister Maya explaining the

Hawai'i caucuses..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHV9Ac8t9UY

An article about it in the Honolulu Advertiser..

<snips>

"Soetoro-Ng, speaking to reporters outside the rally, said Obama has no immediate plans to come back to Hawai'i but he may reassess his schedule after the Feb. 5 primary results.

"Hawai'i's support is important in so many ways," she said. "Symbolically, I think it's very important. This is his home state. We want to get people participating to a greater degree than they've ever participated before."

Soetoro-Ng, a history teacher at La Pietra Hawai'i School for Girls, said people of diverse backgrounds may be drawn to her brother because they see themselves in him. Obama's and Soetoro-Ng's mother was from Kansas. Obama's father is from Kenya, and the couple met as students at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. Soetoro-Ng's father, from her mother's second marriage, was a student from Indonesia."

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080113/NEWS05/801130354/1009/NEWS05

I read that the Senators from Hawaii have both endorsed hilary so she "has a strong campaign base"..but I'm wondering if the senators are having any buyer's remorse?

[bigdarryl]

9. DAMN!!!!! Barack your sister is fine as hell

[TheDonkey]

14. Thanks for the vid. What a great lady!

Go Obama family!

[ellisonz]

17. Akaka is still on the fence to my knowledge.

[Cha]

20. Well, that could be good news..

since the longer he sits the more he'll see what Hawai'i's Native Son is doing with his campaign across America!

[dkf]

8. His sister lives here.

She's been the face at most of his events.

Here's an email I got from his BIL:

My name is Konrad Ng. I'm Barack's brother-in-law and a Professor at the University of Hawai'i.

I earned my PhD in political science, and I can tell you -- rarely has there been a campaign or candidate quite like this one.

I'd like to let you know about three exciting events coming up. Please join us today, Sunday, or Monday and help make history in Hawaii.

Stand for Change Rally with Maya Soetoro-Ng and actress Kelly Hu

University of Hawaii at Manoa
Campus Center Ballroom
2465 Campus Road
Honolulu, HI

Friday, February 15, 2008
3:00 p.m.

http://hi.barackobama.com/ManoaRally

Obama Ohana Potluck and Beach Canvass

Kapiolani Park
Next to the water fountain
3840 Paki Avenue
Honolulu, HI

Sunday, February 17, 2008
10:00 a.m.

http://hi.barackobama.com/beachcanvass

Presidents' Day Rally with Maya Soetoro-Ng
and Congressman Neil Abercrombie and Kelly Hu

Farrington High School Library
1564 N. King Street
Honolulu, HI

Monday, February 18, 2008
3:00 p.m.

[Cha]

10. I'd like to go to ManoaRally

tomorrow and do Beach Canvass! B-)

We have a few DUers in Hawai'i ..it'll be interesting to read what they have to write about it.

[Ichingcarpenter]

13. I would like to hear from symbolman

who is a great Duer and observer of the political arena.

[ellisonz]

15. Clintons have the establishment, Obama has the grassroots.

Chelsea is here on vacation.


And Maya has been working hard.


Sen. Dan Inouye has gotten word to go negative telling the Honolulu Advertiser:

"If you ask the people in Hawai'i what they know about Barack Obama, I think the honest answer is, 'Very little,' " he said. "He went to school in Hawai'i but he went to Punahou, and that was not a school for the impoverished.

"I don't hold it against anyone who is a Punahou grad. It's a fine school. I would say one of the finest in the United States. But to suggest that Punahou maybe set his life plan in place, I find it very interesting."

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080216/NEWS01/802160348/1001/NEWS01

----

In Hawai'i, where you went to high school is just as important as where you went to college. When you're asked "where'd you go to school" they're asking about what high school. It's a real localism. So far Inouye to say that Barack just went to Punahou and didn't have any other life expierence here is a real slap in the face. I would also note that Barack was on scholarship and that Punahou since the 1960's has been very generous with it's scholarship money. So while Punahou is "elite," it is not "closed." This is part of the generational divide.

There were two competing articles today, the one above and this one about Chelsea: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080216/NEWS01/802160347/1001/NEWS01

She was up the street from me at the community college where I'm taking a couple of classes this morning. But I was too lazy to get up and go...

I'll be at the Obama Ohana potluck at Kapio'lani park tommorow morning with my camera.

Oh, and we got a lame ass robocall from Hillaryland.

Aloha. ;)

[Cha]

19. I got one lame ass robo call from

hilary in New York. :hi:

Wow, it sounds to me like Inouye stepped in 'em saying that about Obama and Punahou School especially when it's a local school and Obama was on scholarship..Jeeze, what happens to people when they beome hilarylanders?

Inouye doesn't "hold it against anyone to be a Punahou grad"?!! Oh, man..them's fightin' words..hope he stepped in 'em good.

Imagine supporting a carpetbagger New Yorker against a Native Son in Hawaii..and then you have to go all hilary-shyte negative on him 'cause hilary's made of straw.

I'm looking forward to your pics if you post 'em on here from your Obama Ohana potluck at Kapio'lani park!

[ellisonz]

22. No really, it was very bad.

It was a 30 something haole woman voice trying way too hard to say Hawai'i correctly while saying every word very emphatically with a pause between each one.

For those who don't know: in written Hawaiian, Hawaii is spelled Hawai'i and pronounced Haw-vai-ee.

[Cha]

23. Thanks for clairifying that..

mine was hilary, herself, waking me up on my day off.

[ellisonz]

24. There's "hard work" to be done ya know...

...mostly for the non-former residents :hi:

Poor Clintons, they pander so hard.

[Cha]

25. They pander their lame

collective ass off. Hawai'i's favorite son needs to win for the future of our country!

[VolcanoJen]

21. Mahalo!

Great post, ellisonz! Please keep us posted, we're starving for news from Hawaii!

[Yael]

16. Looks like they have stuff going on on each island right now

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hieventsmap

And his sister still lives there.

[Yael]

18. I just updated SourceWatch with all known SDs and their endorsements

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Hawaii_2008_presidential_primary_and_superdelegates