Hawaii GOP: Show Us the Money

Michael Chow / Hawaii Republican Party

Jonah Kaauwai had encouraging words for his fellow Hawaii Republicans as they met at the Kauai Beach Resort on Saturday.

Kaauwai, the party's chairman, said Newt Gingrich told the Hawaii GOP during his Honolulu visit that it took Republicans 41 years to turn his home state of Georgia into a 60-percent Republican majority.

"If we are not shooting for the stars we will never make it to the sun," said Kaauwai, who was re-elected to another two-year term as chair. "I'm not the only crazy one, am I?"

The party assured Kaauwai that he is not crazy, and that the party is as passionate and dedicated as ever to achieving real two-party government in the islands — something that has happened only fleetingly since the 1950s.

That was a major theme coming out of the party's annual convention, held this year on Kauai in part because Kaauwai is a Kauai boy.

But another big theme was the need to raise money — lots of it — not just to pay off debt from the 2010 campaign and fuel races in 2012, but also to keep up payments on the party's Kapiolani Boulevard headquarters.

Outgoing party treasurer Kathi Thomason was direct in her plea to the party.

"We are passing around a calabash basket," she told members from the podium. "Take out what cash you have, commit to helping your party, we need to fundraise and to fundraise starting right now."

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