Hawaii GOP Runs Radio Ads to Recruit Candidates
06/29/2010Two 30-second radio spots airing locally seek to recruit Republican candidates for elective office.
The spots are running on KHVH News Radio 830 AM, home to local conservative gabber Rick Hamada and national personalities Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.
"If you believe in conservative local values, I want you to run for public office," implores Jonah Kaauwai, chairman of the Hawaii Republican Party, in one of the ads, which can be listened to here.
The ads don't pull any punches.
"Greedy union bosses, unaccountable elected officials and an arrogant political establishment that has overtaxed Hawaii familes and local businesses and stuck our kids with the third-worst education system in the nation," Kaauwai argues in one. "It's time for this to change and principled people to get involved and run for elected office to protect our children's future."
In a state known for one-party dominance, the local GOP sure could use the help. But the ads are an extraordinary step in a year when the Tea Party has infused the GOP with energy in many mainland states, even as it disrupts the Republican establishment. To take to the general airwaves to try to recruit candidates could be a sign of how open the party is to new blood. But it could also be a sign of how shallow its bench is.
