In a local election cycle with few competitive general election races, it’s not surprising that there have been very few campaign commercials on the airwaves. So far, this blogger has only encountered commercials for the Hawaii County Mayoral race, featuring incumbent Mitch Roth and challenger Dr. Kimo Alameda, as well as one for Incumbent Senator Mazie Hirono.
PC: “Senator Mazie Hirono speaking at the Supreme Court after oral arguments on Trump’s latest Muslim Ban” by Lorie Shaull is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
She is running against Republican Bob McDermott and We The People candidate Shelby Pikachu Billionaire. With publications like The Hill not even monitoring the Senate general race, stopping after the primary in August, the consensus is that Hirono will be re-upped for another 6-year term in Washington.
So, the fact that she is running commercials at all takes on a different theme and, thus, a very different tone than a person trying to convince people to vote for them in a tighter race.
The commercial that Hirono has put out, therefore, shows how she is portrayed at the national media level rather than portraying more local support. The commercial shows a parade of news television personalities and late-night hosts talking up Hirono’s outspoken nature on contentious issues.
The personalities are from more traditional media sources, such as Steven Colbert from The Late Show with Steven Colbert on CBS (recorded during the pandemic as it was not in the Ed Sullivan Theater), and Trevor Noah, previously of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”.
She adds to the voices of cable news personalities, starting with Rachel Maddow of MSNBC and at least one other news personality that was not easily identified by this blogger. However, all four speak of Mazie as a fierce and brave person who is outspoken.
The commercial intersperses the personalities with a voiceover that talks about her background and funding for Lahaina wildfire recovery and monies for education – a theme of “I bring home the money” less so but similar to that of Senator Brian Schatz and his commercials the last election cycle.
In the parts where Hirono speaks, she addresses what could be considered safe topics to engage and retain Democratic support. She starts by discussing the need for the creation of an ethics board for the Supreme Court, which she describes as “out of control.” She also emphasizes her commitment to protecting abortion rights and outlines her plans to safeguard them. One notable line she shares, which resonates well with this blogger, is: “The fights that we have won don’t stay won.”
In politics, that is truer today than it has ever been, with laws that seemed to be carved in stone being smashed apart by a sledgehammer of changing opinions later.
A political pundit might wonder why Hirono opted for a personal presentation seemingly aimed at the mainland instead of showcasing local endorsements. A potential answer could be: that since she likely feels secure about her re-election, she may be trying to bolster local support by emphasizing her image on the continent.
The theory of this approach goes like this.
In Hawaii, the nature of its society and culture is to not be an overbearing, boisterous person. Like what was said about the late Representative Mark Nakashima, whose services were held recently, people and power here are more attracted to a quiet voice that moves mountains.
So the idea that a politician in Hawaii would come out, telling men to shut up and, in a voice vote on the Senate floor for a Supreme Court nominee (in this case Barrett), saying “hell no”, is not seen by all in the most favorable light.
In fact, during spells when she was more verbose and direct, the commentary from locals writing in the comment sections of the local papers didn’t celebrate Hirono in her style, but either demurred or outright said that she needed to tone it down.
With locals feeling that way, it makes sense that Hirono would send out a message to locals that says, “Hey, you may not like the way I say or do things. But see, these antics get eyes on the issue and Hawaii at a national level. And being we are out in the middle of the Pacific, that is a good thing”.
She may also be teaching the locals that while they may not like it, this is the way things get done in 2024 Washington, and if Trump is re-elected, she will be ready to ramp up and fight again for the things that she thinks the people care about – both in state and across the nation.
Senator Hirono, therefore, from this blogger’s perspective on her commercial, is providing a strategic reminder that fierce advocacy can attract resources back home, even if it clashes with the local preference for subtlety. Which, despite our wish that it was not, is a more effective way to get things done in Washington DC.
Photo Credit for Maddow, Noah, Colbert
“Rachel Maddow (2018)” by MSNBC is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
“Trevor Noah June 2021 (cropped) wider” by ‘Peabody Awards’ on YouTube is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
“Stephen Colbert 2014” by Montclair Film Festival is licensed under CC BY 2.0.