Do you agree with this statement? Who and what groups and organizations are part of this Oligarchy?
Corporate Media? Industry unions? Healthcare? Insurance? Legal? Finance? Banking? Lobbyists? Consultants? Billionaires? Politicians? Mercenary Electioneering Experts? Fortune 500 corporations?
State of Hawaii’s sitting Lt. Governor Dr. Josh Green has a very dishonest advertising on primetime TV and other social media recently. Environmentalists are calling this gubernatorial candidate on it.
The Foul Advertisement:
The branded “Doctor Green – trusted caring leadership” campaign shows a prominent pediatrician extolling Dr. Green’s leadership in shutting down the contaminated Redhill fuel tanks in three months. The pediatrician further stated ” I trust Josh to protect Hawaii’s children“.
Here is the inevitable pushback from Hawaii’s environmentalists:
Oʻahu Water Protectors Demand Gubernatorial Candidate Josh Green Pull Campaign Ad & Correct Misinformation He Spread on Red Hill
For Immediate Release
CONTACT:
Marti Townsend, Marti.townsend@gmail.com, 808-372-1314
HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI. July 25, 2022. The Oʻahu Water Protectors (OWP) demands that gubernatorial candidate Josh Green:
The Red Hill water crisis is far from over. Residents whose water systems have been declared safe continue to report visible sheens in their tap water and health symptoms consistent with petroleum poisoning. According to the Board of Water Supply, there is a contamination plume of unknown size and location threatening nearby municipal wells. Due to the Navy overpumping Waiawa shaft and the closure of three critical BWS water sources, Oʻahu is on the brink of a water shortage that may persist for years. Perhaps most importantly, over 100 million gallons of fuel remain in 14 actively corroding, ill-maintained, 25-story tall fuel tanks located just 100 feet above our sole-source groundwater aquifer, which the Navy suggests will take years to remove.
Accordingly, OWP is deeply concerned by the statements made in Green’s ads, which have circulated online and aired on primetime television. The candidate used footage filmed by an OWP member at an OWP event for his political ad without the knowledge or consent of OWP in order to incorrectly suggest that not only is the Red Hill facility shut down, but that Josh Green is solely responsible for shutting it down. The use of footage from this event could be construed by viewers as a tacit endorsement by OWP of Dr. Green’s Gubernatorial run and his misleading views on Red Hill, which makes the nonconsensual use of OWP footage all the more egregious. It is OWP’s policy is to refrain from supporting candidates running for public office.
“We need to be united in the effort to save our water supply from the military. The truth is the tanks remain full and remain a threat to all of us,” said Anna Chua, a volunteer leader with O’ahu Water Protectors. “Lt. Gov. Green should do everything he can to make sure we have the correct information and this ad fails at that goal,” she added.
We look forward to hearing Dr. Green’s response.”
Other grassroots activists are also directly objecting to Dr. Green’s foul play:
Oahu Water Protectors (OWP) went online to voice their objections as well.
Environmentalists in Hawaii know that Ernie Lau, the chief Engineer for Board of Water, the Sierra Club and grassroots were the voices of warning about this issue for many long years.
Dr. Josh Green has been a politician at the Hawaii State Legislature for 18 years. Josh Green also worked as a doctor during all this time. As a doctor. Lt. Governor Green should have been more acutely concerned about public health. However, Dr. Green was silent until the this Redhill water contamination issue went viral on social media and mainstream corporate media. Then Dr. Josh Green appeared at the Redhill site, with cameras on him.
Incidentally, the above social media post also raised another troubling issue – First Amendment Violations. Besides this Free Speech violation cited above, there have been other complaints about the Lt. Governor/Dr. Josh Green Campaign deleting and blocking contrary comments from the public on his social media sites.
Polling, if done objectively can be a good indicator. But, let’s face it. Polling costs money. Grassroots candidates cannot afford “official” polling. The crafting of the questions can elicit the desired answers hoped for.
Polling can be funded by the candidates themselves and then circulated to influence the public. It’s about snatching the “First Impression”.
Polling is one way to influence the public. It can exploit the tendency for the Everyman to accept and support perceived “winners”. People could then gravitate to the perceived “winners” to obtain or maintain favors or jobs or contracts or social status and so on.
But, polling can be elusive. Here’s an example of the 2018 Gubernatorial race between David Ige and Colleen Hanabusa. Hanabusa did her own polling as advertised on May 25, 2018.
” The poll was conducted by Qmark Research of Honolulu from April 21 to May 7, 2018. It included registered voters with a history and likelihood of voting in the 2018 Democratic Primary Election to be held on August 11, 2018. It should be noted that the study period of this survey began after the Ige campaign had begun its TV advertising and was completed before the Hanabusa campaign TV advertising was launched.
RACE FOR GOVERNOR
In the poll, registered voters who indicated a likelihood of selecting the Democratic Ballot in the upcoming primary election were asked which of the top candidates for governor they would likely support if the election were held today. It showed Colleen Hanabusa holds a greater than 2:1 advantage over the incumbent David Ige, 52% to 23%.”
The Real 2018 Primary Elections Results
Governor David Ige won the Primary Elections. with 50.2% to Hanabusa’s 43.4%.
What happened to Hanabusa’s earlier polled 29% point lead over Ige?
2022 Primary Election Poll
Fast forward to July 6, 2022. Civil Beat, an online news media, and Hawaii News Now announced their polling results. ( The costs are not disclosed.)
“ According to a new Civil Beat/Hawaii News Now poll, Green has 48% of the vote compared to U.S. Rep. Kai Kahele with 16% and businesswoman Vicky Cayetano with 15%.
Nearly one-fifth of those polled (22%) say they are not sure who they will vote for. But of the 782 likely Democratic primary voters surveyed, nearly half want to see Green elevated to the governorship.“
Some public sentiments from the same polling reveals interesting mind processes:
” Melanie Kealii Pualani Hiram-Broad, 47, a small-business owner in Hauula, also trusts Green’s experience as a doctor and leader in the state through the pandemic.
But Gail Tagashira, a retired woman from Ala Moana, supports Cayetano not Green.
“Because of Green’s campaign finances, he has taken dirty money to me. And I’m not really sure if he has the ability to get legislative bills influenced.”
“I think Cayetano and Sylvia Luke would be a good team as far as legislative duties go,” she said.“
The Big Question
Which of the three Democratic Gubernatorial candidates will win this Primary? Will Vicky Cayetano or Kai Kahele repeat the 2018 Polling failure?
The winner of this Democratic Primary will become the Governor of Hawaii for the next 4 years.
Will voters dig deeper into the persona branding created by “Doctor Green” as the “trusted caring leadership”? Or question the doctor’s list of big corporate donations here and from the mainland? Below is a meme from a Facebook post:
Will voters dig deeper into the persona branding created by “Dr. Green” as the “trusted caring leadership” and question his PAY TO PLAY record?
So, the corporate news media in Hawaii gets to decide which candidate to invite to island-wide forums. This is unfortunately based on the donations collected by the candidates. Money does buy elections.
I totally understand that TV time is a huge factor and time is money for the corporate media.
It’s on the assumption that money can afford relentless pummeling of TV ads, social media, Instagram, Twitter and so on into the public space and living rooms. Whoever can put the most air-time for their campaign wins.
Familiarity does not appear to breed contempt. It breeds name recognition for political candidates. Thirty short seconds of professional campaigning videos can imprint on the minds of the voters. Some fluid candidates have changed their words and content to fit their newly-adopted campaign narratives.
There were other political parties that were brushed off. We have the Aloha Aina Party, Green Party, Nonpartisan Ballot, Constitution Party, and Libertarian Party this Election 2022. It would be interesting to hear their voices. They deserve to be heard in a democracy.
We’re all so busy. But we’re days before the ballots start arriving in Hawaii’s mailboxes for the Gubernatorial Race.
The winner at the Democratic Primary Election will become the Governor for the next four years. There are 3 top candidates : Vicky Cayetano and Kai Kahele and Josh Green.
Dr. Green has been at the State Capitol for 18 years. He has branded himself as the “Dr. Josh Green”, wearing his medical scrubs to campaign events and activities outside of the hospital. Even his official Facebook banner portrays him in his medical scrubs.
Here’s an extremely brief chronology of Dr. Green’ record at the State Capitol relating to healthcare and politics.
2012
BIG ISLAND NOW’s questioned Sen. Josh Green‘s donations and involvement
” But Green so far hasn’t addressed questions on why he used his position as senator to act on behalf of a private company; if that act was connected to the donation; and whether he shares the city’s view that taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for inflated prices on medication.
Meanwhile, Automated Healthcare Solutions is no stranger to controversy, paying handsomely to political lobbying firms to advance its interests (including $82,000 to a single firm in Florida.) The firm pays doctors who dispense medications directly to patients, then bills insurance carriers and governments at a higher amount. To put it mildly.
The unique pricing scheme hasn’t escaped the gaze of insurance carriers either, who fought last session to pass a bill capping the prices of directly-dispensed drugs. The bill was killed off in a committee chaired by none other than Senator Clayton Hee, the only legislator besides Sen. Green to receive contributions from Automated Healthcare Solutions.
Whether Senators Green and Hee acted inappropriately is up to the public to decide, but the wasteful and abusive pricing scheme employed by companies like Automated Healthcare Solutions can only be dealt with at the Legislature via a cap on excessive pricing practices.“
2013
Babara Polk, a long time advocate for good government wrote this about Dr. Green and HB 2175 that left favoritism open.
” Last year the state Legislature passed a bill intended to exempt members of temporary task forces from sections of the state ethics code. But in the process, they also exempted themselves from the “fair treatment” section of the code:
“No legislator or employee shall use or attempt to use the legislator’s or employee’s official position to secure or grant unwarranted privileges, exemptions, advantages, contracts, or treatment, for oneself or others.”
HB 2175 (which became Act 208 with the governor’s signature) exempted task force members from these and other provisions —bad enough, since it leaves a wide open door for favoritism when one industry representative is allowed to benefit from information not available to others. But it also broadened a previous exemption for legislators that applied only when engaged in their legislative functions. Now the exemption applies to anything they do in their role as a legislator.
An example that would have come under scrutiny prior to approval of Act 208 was Maui Senator Josh Green’s intervention in a payment dispute between the city and Automated HealthCare Solutions. Although he did not advocate a specific solution, he did call the city offer “unreasonable”. Eight days later, Green received a campaign contribution from Automated HealthCare Solutions for $2,000. When the matter became public, Sen. Green donated the money to charity, claiming that he had not intended to be taking the company’s side.
However, even if he had intended to influence the decision, that would not have been a violation of the ethics code under Act 208’s exemption.”
2016
Civil Beat’s Nick Grube reported Dr. Green is sitting on more than $500,000 of campaign cash.
” State Sen. Josh Green has more than a half-million dollars in his campaign coffers, far more than any of his 24 colleagues.
Green’s $515,800 exceeds the combined cash on hand of the two senators who come closest to him on that measure, Donna Mercado Kim ($245,000) and Donovan Dela Cruz ($244,800).
Green, who represents Hawaii County’s Kona and Kau districts, also raised more money than any of his colleagues — $72,000 — in the last reporting period that covers July-December 2015.
And yet, Green is not up for re-election until 2018. He faced no opponent in the 2014 Democratic primary and swamped Libertarian Michael Last, taking 76 percent of the vote in the general election.
Green has received significant contributions from medical interests. He is an emergency room doctor and was, until a recent Senate leadership shakeup, chair of the Senate Health Committee.
In 2015, donors included political action committees for the Hawaii Medical Association, the Hawaii Medical Service Association, UHA Health Insurance and the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.”
2018
The Maui News reported Dr. Josh Green’s hiring actions when elected as Lt. Governor.
” HONOLULU — Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green has appointed a former carpenters’ union official to be his chief of staff months after a super PAC funded by the union spent over $1 million supporting his candidacy in the Democratic Party primary.“
The Star Advertiser’s Sophie Cocke went into further details that almost revealed a “pecking order” to rewarding donations.
Lt. Gov. Josh Green has hired Brooke Wilson, who served as political and education director for the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, as his chief of staff, as well as experts from the health care industry to staff his office on the fifth floor of the state Capitol.
Green, who was sworn into office Monday, received more than $1 million in campaign contributions from the super political action committee financed by the pro-rail carpenters union, called Be Change Now, during his campaign for lieutenant governor — a staggering amount for such a race which surprised political observers and elicited criticism from his Democratic primary rivals.
As deputy chief of staff, Green has hired Jeremy Lakin. Lakin worked for the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, a trade association for hospitals, skilled-nursing facilities and other businesses operating in the health care sector. Lakin, who is also an attorney, has specialized in public policy, government administration and litigation, according to Green’s office.
J.P. Schmidt, who served as the state’s insurance commissioner under former Gov. Linda Lingle and has worked in the insurance sector since leaving office, has joined Green’s office as a senior policy adviser.
2020
Dr. Green continues to receive substantial amounts from the health care, including from Pfizer Corporation, a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical corporation. Green travelled to the Mainland for Fundraisers. Needless to say, Green has also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from lobbyists, labor unions, legal, developers, healthcare, and so on.
2022
“Dr” Green has held the most fundraisers than Kahele and Cayetano. On July 13, 2022, there was a conflict of schedule between Green’s fundraiser at the Waialae Country Club in Kahala and YMCA forum on women issues. Green was a no-show at the YMCA forum. Considering that both the events were in Honolulu, Green could have easily “show face” at the YMCA for a time.
Campaign Finance Influence
What is significant are the corporate donations. However, it must be noted that corporations have dished out their donations through various individual names to outsmart the maximum limit of $6,000 allowable by law.
It must be noted that every donor has the free agency to donate their own money as they wish.
What is significant is how donations influence and control the candidate.
In the case of Dr. Josh Green, the “pay to play” factor with powerful big corporations and labor unions is very blatant and in your face. Dr. Green or Lt. Governor Green fails the smell test.
Should we question this candidate’s campaigning tactics and record a little more?
Dr. Josh Green has been in the State Legislature for 18 years. He is currently compensated for approximately $165,552 as the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
Today in his campaign facebook page, he is also celebrating his career as a doctor for the past 25 years.
What is this candidate?
Lt. Governor Green or Dr. Green?
How does one clock time on the job for Lt. Governor? Is he doing $165,552 worth of labor for the taxpayers?
How much time is allocated for his medical profession? How much time for his political campaign?
It’s interesting to note this candidate has mostly highlighted his medical career more than his public office during this campaign.
Dr. Green appear to wear his medical scrubs wherever he goes. It’s certainly part of his “branding”. He’s dressed in his branding scrubs at sign-waving, meet and greet, on the beach, at the taro patch, the bakery, and so on.
The Doctor Brand
This is certainly the persuasive ploy to take – to dress as a Doctor and to relentlessly push the phrase “Trusted, Caring Leadership” as his campaign slogan.
Most public sentiments towards a doctor are naturally positive. Someone is in need of care and the doctor is there to make us feel better.
A doctor becomes someone we can trust to take good care of us. It’s just like the image of a “fireman”.
A fireman comes to the rescue or to put out our house fire. It’s unlike the policeman who has to maintain law and order. A policeman is capable of making a bad person be accountable and be punished. The policeman breaks up fights and may have to shoot a criminal. They’re involved in giving speeding and DUI citations. We don’t like that or run away from the policeman if we’re guilty.
So, there are systemic stereotypes in our society.
Can you imagine a gubernatorial candidate dressed in a policeman outfit as his campaign garb?
Can you imagine gubernatorial candidate dressed in a clown costume?
This leads to a few fundamental questions in this gubernatorial campaign.
Are we electing a Doctor for the office of the Governor?
Should the public study Dr. Green’s legislative record these past 18 years?
Should the public study Dr. Green’s phenomenal fundraising amounts from special interest groups here and from the mainland?
Manipulating the social media has become an art form. I’m going to choose one television ad which is airing relentlessly on corporate TV programs here in Hawaii. These ads are very expensive to run. Obviously, only candidates with a big campaign money chest can afford this.
I will choose this one that touches Hawaii’s ongoing problems with housing. Watch this first – Green’s political ad about “affordable housing” problems.
Lt. Gov. Green’s huge promise is this: “Under no circumstances should any one have to leave Hawaii because they cannot afford a home.”
It’s truly very sad for sure. Billions of dollars have been allocated for housing through the years. Green has been at the State Capitol for 18 years.
Is Green exploiting the plight of residents?
How is Green going to promise a home for every one? He already owes so much to the construction corporations and lobbyists.
Let’s critique this for the sake of conversation and questioning political ads. Decide whether the candidate is honest about this housing issue.
We will critique the cinematography in this 30-seconds political ad.
“Cinematography, the art and technology of motion-picture photography. It involves such techniques as the general composition of a scene; the lighting of the set or location; the choice of cameras, lenses, filters, and film stock; the camera angle and movements; and the integration of any special effects.“
GREEN: “We have a housing crisis in the state of Hawaii, and I have a plan to do something about it. I will make historic investments to build affordable homes for working families so they can stay in Hawaii.”
Stage 1 – This campaign ad has chosen a good-looking couple with a child living in a small unit. They are saying it is very sad that they cannot afford to live in Hawaii.
The video moves to construction workers. There is an insert to lead you to his campaign website.
Another insert of action and activity. And again leading the viewers to Green’s campaign website.
The camera angle is now focused on the young mother’s sad face.
The camera angle moves to a close-up to show tears welling in this young mother’s eyes.
The camera then pulls a distance shot. Note the women are dressed in aloha mu’u mu’u wear. There are people of different ages and races.
This video ends with LG Green promising: “Under no circumstances should any one have to leave Hawaii because they cannot afford a home.”
Is Green manipulating and exploiting the plight and worries of our residents?
Are you moved to vote for him?
Top fan Peter Young This is a powerful commercial… congratulations. This is the true Josh Green… honest and caring!
GIPHY
Author Josh Green for Hawaii Aloha Eberhart Hani! Josh has a comprehensive, 10-point emergency plan for Hawaii’s housing crisis: https://joshgreenforhawaii.com/an-emergency-plan-for…/JOSHGREENFORHAWAII.COMAn Emergency Plan for Hawaii’s Housing Crisis – Dr. Josh Green | Trusted, Caring Leadership An Emergency Plan for Hawaii’s Housing Crisis – Dr. Josh Green | Trusted, Caring LeadershipOn July 7, 2022, INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAIʻI hosted this Thursday night at 7:30 on PBS Hawai’i and was streamed on Facebook.
There were many questions asked but not all were addressed. Only three candidates were chosen to be on this panel.
Again, this choice was probably based on the amounts of donations that a candidate was able to raise.
Check this program out and form your own opinions.
I tried to ask the questions pertaining to Campaign Finance Reform. Finance is the foundational structure of American politics today.
Unfortunately, not much time was spent in this area. I would have liked to see more probing questions into the campaign finance data and the major donors of candidates.
Lt. Governor Josh Green has been a politician for the last 18 years. Green has maintained a long list of donors. He has a questionable record.
Green’s record shows blatant “PAY TO PLAY” from every angle I look at it.
Upon being elected to the office of Lt. Governor in 2018, Josh Green appointed an official from the same union that donated $1M to him as his Chief of Staff. This is very significant. The Chief of Staff controls the entire operations of the public office.
Green appointed deputy Chief of Staff who was with the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.
The Lt. Governor’s Senior Policy Advisor is from the Insurance sector.
Where does this leave us the ordinary people?
Not allowing all candidates the opportunity to participate in the public dialogue is far from the ideals of a democracy.
What to do? Provide independent citizenship media outlets?
The Honolulu Star Advertiser hosted a digital town hall on June 29, 2022 for the top three presumptive gubernatorial candidates – Vicky Cayetano, Josh Green, and Kai Kahele.
Yunji de Nies and Ryan Kalei Tsuji hosted the hour-long program.
For those who did not watch the Star Advertiser Spotlight Forum, I’m highlighting the Campaign Finance Reform issue.
About the 50:00 timeline, Representative Kai Kahele retorted at Lt. Governor Green’s comments about leading by example:
” … for the Lt Gov Green to talk about leading by example, frankly, it’s a joke because his (Green) campaign is funded by hundreds of thousands of dollars by outside mainland donors, corporations, special interests, big pharma, maxed dollar donors , wealthy individuals from the mainland that want to control the economic and political life of this state.”
Green was visibly irritated and quickly responded that he was disappointed by Kahele’s “attack” and it was not appropriate as he (Green) was a “hardworking doctor and Lt. governor “.
Green again implemented the red herring fallacy to distract from his own record and accused Kahele of “sensationalism”. Green proceeded to accusing Kahele’s of donations from indicted Mitsunaga and others.
However, it must be noted that this federal indictment case is very specific. It’s focused on the Honolulu City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro who received donations from Mitsunaga & Associates to prosecute one of Dennis Mitsunaga’s former employee.
Kahele should have brought up Green’s most egregious Pay to Play quid pro quo . The Carpenter’s Union donated about $1M at the last minute to Green in 2018 to edge over Jill Tokuda.
Green in turn dutifully appointed one of its union officials as his Chief of Staff.
Is money buying elections?
Isn’t this a blatant example of PAY TO PLAY?
Green’s action is very significant because the Chief of Staff controls the office of the Lt. Governor and its operations. His Deputy Chief of Staff is from the Healthcare Sector. His Senior Policy Advisor is from the Insurance sector.
I didn’t take it as an “attack” when Kahele highlighted Green’s donations from the mainland interests, unions, maxed out donors, big pharma, and so on.
Candidates cannot run away nor be offended by their own record. The Public has every right to question and raise concerns to hold the candidate accountable.
This is why Campaign Finance Reform is so critical. If this cancer is not controlled, candidates who are willing to play along with special interests groups will continue to receive donations. With these big donations, candidates are able to hire staff for their campaign, pay for expensive social media, television ads and so forth.
Candidates can literally reinvent themselves with sophisticated media propaganda and manipulated narratives for their desired outcome. The Status Quo continues.
Voters may feel outgunned and overwhelmed by campaign finance concerns. But elections are won vote by vote.
Voters have the power. Voters can make a conscious choice to boycott candidates with big donations from special interests.
Voters also need not feel the pressure to tell any one who they voted for.
Happy 4th of July!