But both have kept it well above the belt in the early going, stressing what they see as their positives and avoiding a lot of direct criticism of each other.

Abercrombie, the only major Democrat to formally announce for governor, promises to tap his extensive experience in federal, state and county government to create a synergy for solving Hawai'i's problems.

Hannemann, who has formed an exploratory committee but hasn't committed to the race, emphasizes his executive experience running Hawai'i's largest county as opposed to Abercrombie's legislative experience.

The closest they've come to attacking each other is Abercrombie's mild jab that Hannemann should stay on as Honolulu mayor to finish his rail project, which Hannemann countered by suggesting Abercrombie should remain in Congress to give Hawai'i the benefit of his 20 years of seniority.

With the election still 14 months away, it's probably too much to hope that a contest between two political brawlers will stay on the high road, but a high-minded campaign is exactly what Hawai'i needs in these overcharged times.

There are 14 candidates, including well-known former state Sen. Matt Matsunaga, but Kobayashi, who relinquished the seat to run unsuccessfully for mayor last year, has the advantages of a well-oiled political organization and a familiarity to voters gained from serving the district on the council and in the Legislature for 20 years.

Those advantages are magnified in a five-week campaign in which voting will be conducted entirely by mail, with ballots sent out July 17 and counted on August 7.

One thing that could work against Kobayashi is if a strong sentiment emerges among district voters in favor of new blood instead of going back to the future, as it did in the recent Windward council election to replace Barbara Marshall.

In that race, newcomer Ikaika Anderson defeated former councilmen Steve Holmes and John Henry Felix by large margins.

But Anderson was well-known to district voters after months of sign-waving and going door-to-door in a narrow loss for a legislative seat last fall. He also had the endorsement of the popular Marshall's husband.

Lesser known candidates in Manoa-Makiki will find it difficult to introduce themselves to  voters in such a compressed campaign, especially in a district with a high concentration of apartment buildings that make knocking on doors difficult.

The election will test if there's any lingering resentment toward Kobayashi over the circumstances surrounding Bainum's uncontested walk into the job after Kobayashi dropped out to run for mayor just before the filing deadline.

***

I look at the stalemate over state worker furloughs in my column in the Opinion section of today's Advertiser, "Hawaii needs leaders, but gets squabblers."

“Nada Sou Sou” by Rimi Natsukawa

One of the few politician blogs I look at once in awhile is Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu's.

He gets beyond the political humdrum with posts that range from religious and philosophical treatises to interesting personal  trivia — his favorite songs, colors and holidays — to the occasional baffler, such as an entry about how he drew his sword during a meeting with Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle.

(I assume he was writing figuratively, since Carlisle didn't indict him for indecent exposure.)

Around the time of his DUI conviction in 2007, Karamatsu blogged, "I need to liven things up. I often write about issues, legislation, and my philosophy of life, but I also have fun."

Indeed.

Anyway, I came across perhaps his biggest baffler ever last week when I found a new entry under his biography entitled, "My Farewell."

With no explanation when it first appeared, it included his poem dated June 20, 2009, called "A Special Shooting Star," a June 18 entry described as "My final message upon my death," and a June 17 link to a video of the Okinawan song “Nada Sou Sou” with the lead-in, "When I die, this is my farewell song to all my loved ones."

It left me with a sick feeling in my stomach; the guy is only 34 and I worried he'd found out he had some incurable disease.

The mystery was solved, sort of, when I saw Karamatsu's announcement yesterday that he's exploring a run for lieutenant governor next year.

Oh, for the love of Jimmy Kealoha. I've heard of candidates posting a fresh bio when they announce for higher office, but an epitaph? I guess that's the kind of office LG is and this is the kind of election it's going to be.

On a positive note, the rendition of “Nada Sou Sou” by Rimi Natsukawa is really quite lovely and I thank him for introducing me to it.

But a closer look suggests the primary concern may be elsewhere.

Hannemann wanted to raise the rate on homeowners from $3.29 to $3.59 per $1,000 valuation, and then return part of the increase in the form of a $150 credit in fiscal 2010 for owner-occupants.

The council decided to end the shell game of taxing more than needed and giving some back in credits in favor of the more straightforward approach of simply setting the rate lower for everybody at $3.42.

It's a revenue wash in 2010, but in 2011 the city will lose some $23 million in extra income it would have gained under Hannemann's plan by having a $3.59 rate with no credit for owner-occupants.

So instead of taking care of next year's tax rake this year, if  the economy continues to sag and Hannemann can't find more cuts, he'll likely have to ask the council for another tax increase next year right around the time he's shifting his campaign for governor into high gear.

And that's why there's more to this dispute than the plight of owner-occupants.

• North Korea's missile test may not be aimed toward Hawai'i after all, but it's not necessarily good news. With their lousy aim, they'll more likely hit us if they're trying not to.

• Hawai'i's average personal income grew in the first quarter faster than any other state. Of course, no other state's legislators goosed the average by taking 36-percent pay raises in January.

• Local gasoline prices are again nearing $3 a gallon. With its usual impeccable timing, the Legislature is making sure we get there by reinstating the excise tax on gas at the end of the month.

• Public workers are rallying against pay cuts by handing out cards asking for support at the businesses where they shop. I'm sure it'll tug the heartstrings of cashiers working reduced hours for minimum wage.

• Hawai'i had eight more “mass layoffs” in May, with 900 jobs lost. I wonder how bad it has to get before voters consider a mass layoff in November 2010.

• Tihati Productions thought it was a prank when its dancers were invited to perform at President Obama's Washington luau. Republicans still think it's a prank that there's a Hawai'i guy in the White House.

• Kona Councilman Kelly Greenwell wants Obama to release Guantanamo terrorism suspects on the Big Island to begin a healing process, but admits he "may sound insane." May? Does he think filling the peace pipe with the island's agricultural specialty will make them forget they hate us?

• Honolulu was the second most expensive U.S. city after Manhattan, one survey said, and in another we beat out the Big Apple as the nation's most romantic city. The logical conclusion is our hookers cost less.

• In sports news, a Makaha woman accused of killing a peacock with a baseball bat asked for a jury trial. Jurors will cover the bases and foul lines while the judge calls balls and strikes.

• A former Leilehua football star struck a plea deal on a family abuse charge that allows him to play college ball in California. Instead of a probation officer, he'll report to the head linesman.

And the quote of the week ...

... from the late political scientist Ira Rohter via Della Au Bellati:

"My passion is allowing more average people to participate in a more meaningful way in making the decisions that affect their lives.”

May his eternity be green.

The reason I could get by without formal schooling was that newsrooms when I started out were full of tough and committed veterans who considered it their duty to drill newcomers in the ethics and culture of the profession.

Editors and my fellow reporters made it a point to get in my face when I screwed up and pat my back when I got it right. After a year of this, I felt my understanding of the job and the responsibility of the newspaper in the community were light years ahead of some friends who worked part-time at at the newspaper while studying journalism at UH.

Every story I've written had a little piece in it of people like Hobe Duncan, Bud Smyser, Jack Bryan, Phil Mayer, Ray Maneki, Hank Sato, Chuck Frankel, Dick Habein, Tomi Knaeffler, Helen Altonn, Arlene Lum, George West, Lyle Nelson and many others.

Things have changed today. Layoffs and buyouts at struggling newspapers have left staffs thin and with as much news to cover as ever, providing little time for veterans to bring along young talent — if there are any of either still around.

Staff cuts have cost the business some of its brightest young journalists, who've been forced to pursue careers in public relations and other fields, and also driven out some of our most accomplished veterans who still had much to offer.

In this environment, intensive on-the-job training like I was so fortunate to receive is difficult to come by and universities become more important than ever in training journalists.

Which is why the turmoil at the University of Hawai'i's Ka Leo O Hawai'i over made-up or misidentified quotes published in stories stretching out more than a year (well detailed in this Pacific Business News story) is so troubling.

I respect the people at Ka Leo who have diligently exposed and tried to correct the errors, which were committed by a single student editor.

But after what we learned from the scandals over fabricated news involving Jayson Blair of the New York Times (who started out as editor of his college newspaper) and Jack Kelly of USA Today, safeguards should have been in place at Ka Leo to prevent this from happening — or at least from continuing for so long.

Those responsible for the student newspaper have to take a hard look at all the factors that let basic checks and balances fall through the cracks, including how student publications are governed.

UH-Manoa is one of a relatively few schools where there is virtually no connection between the student newspaper and and what's left of the journalism department, which means the students leaning about codes of ethics and the history of journalism aren't necessarily the ones writing and editing Ka Leo. Talk about asking for trouble.

The news business is suffering a crisis of credibility and we simply can't afford to have the infection root itself at the foundation of our learning.

I was happy to receive this. I took whacks at a few things the Democratic majority leader said during the recent Legislature and welcomed an opportunity to get with him and assure him it wasn't personal.

The opening of the e-mail was encouraging:

Aloha Dave,

As a legislator, and as someone running for Lieutenant Governor, I feel that for me to truly represent you properly, we need to meet and talk directly.

I liked the friendly tone, which suggested that he wasn't holding any grudges, and the promise of a good chat. Then my hopes were crushed:

For starters, I hope you can join me, along with family and friends:

Tuesday, June 9 from 5:30p.m. to 7:30p.m. at the DAV Hall Ke’ehi Lagoon for our kick-off fundraiser/rally launching the campaign for Lieutenant Governor.

Yikes, he wasn't suggesting a professional tete-a-tete, but inviting me to join a couple of hundred of his other friends in contributing money to his campaign. He also asked for my help in arranging coffee hours.

Another e-mail just arrived with the same familiar "Aloha Dave" greeting soliciting my attendance at $150 fundraiser this week promising "quality conversation, accompanied by quality refreshments." He helpfully attached a video of the earlier fundraiser I'd missed.

The Internet has opened new fundraising opportunities to politicians — President Barack Obama took it to an art form — and I have no problem with online campaign solicitations.

But candidates would be wise to be more careful about who they send them to and avoid getting too falsely personal with the tone lest it become awkward and backfire.

Another recipient of Hooser's e-mail who doesn't know him was even more taken aback than I was by the implied personal relationship, saying, "This is just creepy."

I must say that Hooser's aren't the most clumsy I've seen. I tried to get on U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono's press release mailing list once and ended up on her campaign donors list instead.

They somehow mixed up my first and last name in the salutation and I got a string of e-mails that essentially said, "Shapiro, give me money."

I hadn't heard it put that bluntly since I tried to walk through Pirates Corner at Hilo High.

Rohter was one of those gadflies who keep the system honest by asking sharp questions that strike close enough to the nerve to make established powers nervous.

As a founder and former chairman of the Hawai'i Green Party, he succeeded in establishing the Greens as a valid force in Local politics for a time.

The party was unusual in that its platform took precedent over personality; a candidate who ran Green as a convenience without buying into the beliefs was booted out of the party and removed from the ballot.

Rohter was regularly quoted in local media on political matters and was usually incisive and thought-provoking, speaking with the same infectious enthusiasm that made his courses so popular among students.

He was a professor always eager to take the university outside of the ivory tower and into the community and he will be missed.

I've greatly admired the iconic investigative reporter and editorialist and met Stone when he stopped by the news bureau where I worked in Washington, D.C., in the late 1970s to use our teletype machine.

Stone was in his 70s by then and had retired I.F. Stone's Weekly. He was friendly, gracious and carried himself like he was nobody special.

But you could tell he was quite special by he way even the most grizzled journalists deferred to him; I.F. Stone's Weekly was voted 16th among the top 100 works of journalism in the 20th century, ahead of  giants like Walter Lippmann, A.J. Liebling and Walter Cronkite.

All I knew from a few minutes of small talk was that he played in a far higher league than I would ever attain.

Stone's investigative reporting and commentary in his  little publication that grew in circulation from 4,000 to more than 70,000 between 1953 and 1971 had major impact in defeating McCarthyism, promoting civil rights, setting Cold War and Middle East policy and ending the Vietnam War.

Stone lived by a simple definition of journalism: "To write the truth, to defend the weak against the strong, to fight for justice."

"A newspaperman ought to use his power on behalf of those who were getting the dirty end of the deal," he said. "And when he has something to say, he ought not to be afraid to raise his voice above a decorous mumble."

Stone, who would have celebrated his 101st birthday last week, was a man of the last century, but in some ways you could argue that he was the first blogger.

His four-page newsletter was a one-man show with no organization behind it and stands as a model of the kind of independent reporting and commentary we need more of in the Digital Age.

***

From the highest standards to the low ... I took grief a couple of weeks ago from food and travel bloggers who participated in a Hawai'i Tourism Authority promotional junket when I pointed out the ethical taint of accepting freebies from information sources.

One of the junketers said blogging "is wide-open and unregulated, so anyone can say what they want. Other than blog trolls and other annoyances, we like it that way."

Well, things could get a lot less wide open if they don't tighten up their standards, and they ought to take a look at an AP story yesterday about a move by the Federal Trade Commission to crack down on bloggers who accept compensation from companies and trade groups whose products they promote.

"If you walk into a department store, you know the (sales) clerk is a clerk," said the FTC's Rich Cleland. "Online, if you think that somebody is providing you with independent advice and ... they have an economic motive for what they're saying, that's information a consumer should know."

An attempt by the government to regulate any element of the information media is alarming; with readers rapidly migrating online, the blogosphere is becoming an important part of the "press" whose freedom is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.

But if bloggers don't wise up from their self-indulgence and start to self-regulate by adopting some of the tried-and-true ethical standards practiced by forebears like I.F. Stone, the government is going to be dangerously tempted to do their regulating for them.

• North Korea will fire a long-range ballistic missile toward Hawai'i in the next few weeks, says a Japanese newspaper. It's unlikely the idiots could hit us, but at least it would end the budget squabbling.

• Hawaii men are among the least likely to have a vasectomy, a national survey says. With our high taxes, you never know when you might have to sire another deduction.

• Gov. Linda Lingle wants to save money by closing state offices three Fridays a month and docking workers the pay. Now that's cold to give employees a head start on weekend shopping with their pockets empty.

• Lingle signed into law a bill that bans the public display of dead human bodies. The Legislature provided exceptions for funerals, museums and legislative sessions.

• The budget crisis is forcing drastic cuts in the number of teams invited to high school athletic tournaments. Gotta say it: I'm sure the kids are happy to sit on the sidelines so legislators can enjoy their mondo pay raises.

• The 15-foot bronze state seals hanging at the Capitol entrances were taken down after the Legislature for a $341,590 cleaning. Why bother? Lawmakers will just tarnish them again next year.

• U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie fired the first shot of the 2010 governor's race, saying his chief Democratic rival, Mayor Mufi Hannemann, should forget about running for governor and finish building his train. Hannemann backers suggest Abercrombie should stay in Washington and water his beard.

• The Hannemann administration's big-money PR campaign for transit now sports a heart-shaped logo that says, "I Love Rail." Kind of sad, actually. It reminds me of the unpopular kids in school who had to give valentines to themselves if they wanted any.

• The Office of Elections may close 66 precincts next year to keep balloting costs down. They have such a gift for making it convenient not to vote.

• The University of Hawai'i at Hilo will host a conference revisiting the George W. Bush presidency. Eight years of living through it wasn't punishment enough?

And the quote of the week ...

... from Summer Baring of Kalihi on the city's increase in the highway beautification fee from $5 to $7 per vehicle:

"That's ridiculous! ... All these cars on O'ahu, $5 per car, and we still have crappy roads."

I hope she finds an open polling place.