Carlisle: I’m No Elephant
Former prosector Peter Carlisle says he is no Republican.
Instead, he says he’s smack-dab in the middle of the political spectrum.
Or at least that is what he would have us believe from comments made during a Thursday morning. (The relevant section begins at minute 4:35)
“As prosecutor, I wasn’t an active Republican at all,” Carlisle said. “I never ran as a Republican. I was involved in Republican politics for several months at the request of Linda Lingle. I went to Washington D.C., decided I didn’t particularly like it.”
He pointed out that one of his main opponents in the nonpartisan mayoral race, Panos Prevedouros, is a registered Republican and that Kirk Caldwell, the acting mayor, is “one of them,” (referring to Democrats). As for himself, he said: “Me, neither. Dead in the middle.”
So was Carlisle’s involvement with the Republican party really as limited as he says?
Not according to a issued by the Thursday afternoon.
鈥淢r. Carlisle is fortunate that his statements about his involvement in the Republican Party do not have to stand up in court,” said Hawaii Republican Party Chairman Jonah Ka’auwai. “Although he claims that he was not an ‘active member’ and only involved for a ‘few months’, the fact is Carlisle was a registered party member for 4 years, chaired two State Republican Party Conventions, emceed a major party fundraiser, and ran as a party member for reelection in 2008.”
The release went on to say that Carlisle was involved in Republican politics for much longer than he said, from March 2006 to May 2009 and that he chaired the Republican Party Convention in 2006, 2007 and was also the Emcee at the Governor’s Ball in 2008.
Carlisle through a spokesman declined to respond to the substance of the GOP party chairman’s press release.
“He always ran as a nonpartisan. Not a Democrat. Not a Republican,” Jim Fulton said. (Of course, Carlisle was always running for nonpartisan offices, so he couldn’t run as Republican or a Democrat.)
The KITV interview wasn’t the first time Carlisle tried to distance himself from the Republican Party. In an interview with Civil Beat on July, 9, he said: 鈥淚 was in the Republican party 鈥榝or this long,鈥欌 allowing about an inch between his thumb and index finger. 鈥淗onolulu needs somebody who is nonpartisan as mayor.鈥
No matter what, it appears that going forward he won’t have any association with the party.
It doesn’t want him.
Ka’auwai said: “Republicans need to understand that Peter Carlisle obviously no longer and may have never believed in the principals of our party, especially the principle of fiscal accountability, given his zealous support of Mufi Hannemann鈥檚 rail project.”
Republicans instead endorsed Prevedouros.
“Fortunately Republican candidate for Mayor Panos Prevedoruos embraces the principals of Liberty, Limited Government, Individual Responsibility, Fiscal Accountability, and Equality of opportunity,” Ka’auwai said. “Hawaii deserves leaders who say and do what they mean. While Carlisle is busy covering up his past, Prevedouros is campaigning on a vision for a brighter future.”
Ouch.
