With the reappointment of Joe Souki as Speaker of the House, people of faith should prepare for retribution. Souki, known for ruling with an iron fist and little tolerance for dissent [1], (along with 1st Lieutenant Scott Saiki) will consolidate whatever power they can by threatening Christian Democrats.
Stalwart Christian Democrats can expect to be stripped of key committee positions and roles in the super-majority caucus. This can include key committee chairmanships, vice-chairmanships, committee assignments and other titles. Last reorganization, Calvin Say and Marcus Oshiro were banished to a political no-mans-land and were stripped of all committee assignments in retribution for their opposition to Souki during the 2012 House Reorganization. This is the sort of heavy-handed leadership that Souki has been know to achieve his ends, and to paint the illusion of a ‘grand coalition’ of support for his leadership.
Souki’s “naughty-or-nice” list is expected to expand to include other Christian and Conservative Democrats that have spoken against Souki, including Kauai Representative Jimmy Tokioka, Waianae Representative Jo Jordan and Kapolei Representative Sharon Har. While the list is not exhaustive, punishment for these individuals might include their removal from several important committees such as Finance (Tokioka, Jordan) and Judiciary (Har). Har, perhaps, has the most to lose since she used her position as the Vice-Chair on the House Judiciary Committee to ensure that majority voices were actually heard as Souki and Saiki rammed same-sex marriage through a special legislative session.
While liberal Democrats have tried to pitch a “big tent”, they would rather lead through intimidation and coercion rather than welcome and recognize many of the conservative viewpoints of their own party members. Souki and Saiki will continue their liberal inquisition in order to persecute and marginalize conservative and Christian Democrats to pave the way for their liberal agenda.
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[1] Those well-versed in Hawaii’s Legislative history will recall when Souki attempted to have Hawaii Kai Representative Gene Ward forcibly removed from the House’s floor session. Several versions of the story
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