More Demo Hijinks?
The Honolulu Advertiser shocks with Playing politics with Mink

It's a delicate subject, to say the least. But the ones handling it most indelicately are the ones who are crying foul the loudest.

Hawai'i Democratic party leaders have reacted with shock and indignation at questions that suggest political maneuvering played a part in the timing of the announcement of Patsy Mink's death.

There has been ample material for conspiracy theorists to piece together a plausible plot, starting with the almost total blackout of information on Mink's condition from the day she was admitted to the hospital. This kind of secrecy surrounding the ability of a member of the U.S. Congress to do her job is extraordinary, especially when our country's leaders are talking about going to war and particularly when there's an election at hand.

Voters went to the polls on primary election day not knowing if Mink was able to continue to serve. Her family said nothing. The hospital said nothing. But colleague U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, speaking more as a Democrat concerned about the election than a representative for the family, assured Hawai'i that Mink was on the road to recovery.

When the somber news finally came that Mink's prospects for recovery were poor, it came not from her family or even her staff. It came from the director of the Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign, the organization that is overseeing all the Democrats' political campaigns in Hawai'i.

The uncharitable are saying that the party bosses made the family keep Rep. Mink on life support until the deadline for taking her name off the ballot had passed. They're now asking voters to vote for Mink as a "tribute" with the knowledge that if she wins, there will be a special election to fill her seat.

Nobody could be so callous, could they? Ooops, I forgot! We're talking the Democrat party here. They have a lot of dead voters too.

Patsy Mink was, by all accounts, a person of principle who had little tolerance for game-playing within her party. Patsy Mink was a straight-shooter. She was an independent thinker. It's hard to imagine that she would approve of the Democrats' handling and mishandling of information about her ability to serve in the hopes of controlling an election. Instead of worrying so much about holding on to Patsy Mink's seat in Congress, Democrats should try harder to hold on to Patsy Mink's values.

Rest in Peace