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UPDATED 6/14/2012 9:30 a.m.

Under pressure, the Democratic Party of Hawaii on Tuesday backed off at the 11th hour on its threat to go to court to stop Laura Thielen from running for state office under its banner.

But the brouhaha is far from over.

Party Chair Dante Carpenter says Thielen might still be punished for daring to file for election despite missing an internal party deadline to qualify. It could lead to her being booted from the “big tent.”

If so, Democrats might want to start considering the possible consequences.

UPDATE

Will further party persecution create sympathy for Thielen and help her defeat incumbent state Sen. Pohai Ryan in the primary? Will those two split the vote and allow the third Democrat in the race, Levani Lipton, to slip into the general election?¹

Will Fred Hemmings, the Republican who held the District 25 seat for a decade before retiring in 2010, prevail in the general, changing the party balance (albiet only slightly) in the state Senate?

UPDATE

If Thielen wins but is expelled from the party, as Carpenter threatened Tuesday, how will she be received by Senate Democrats, who currently have a 24-1 majority? Will she lose out on the opportunity to lead committees? Will she be shunned as an independent? Will she be allowed to caucus with Democrats or will she have to sit next to Sam Slom? Will her Kailua-Lanikai-Keolu Hills-Waimanalo-Hawaii Kai constituents lose their voice in the Senate?²

It’s understandable that Democrats want to screen who can be a Democrat, and that some have doubts about Thielen’s political principles given her Republican ties.

But the party appears to have a lot of leeway in that regard.

Consider what the are its core principles.

They include unambiguous statements on protecting the environment, preserving agricultural lands, enforcing transparency in government, adhering to high ethical standards and upholding equality of civil and human rights “regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity.”

In fact, not a few Democrats in the Legislature fall short of meeting that high bar. Think of Sen. Mike Gabbard, who opposes civil unions and gay marriage, or House Speaker Calvin Say, who sought exemptions to environmental review to speed development.

The Democrat-controlled Ledge last session allowed for building bed-and-breakfast rentals on ag land and exempted task force members from the State Ethics Code. The Legislature itself is exempt from the state Sunshine Law that it approved, and it makes many of its most important decisions behind closed doors.

Yet, there are no calls for expulsion of lawmakers who supported these and other anti-Democratic issues. It’s worth noting that what prompted Thielen to run for office was her outrage over what Democrats were doing at the Capitol.

The fallout from l’affaire Thielen has been ugly.

Sen. Ryan has received hateful calls and emails. Campaign signs have been defaced. Neighborhood board meetings have been disruptive.

Just last week, party spokesman Chuck Freedman, fed up with the mess created by party leadership, called it quits.

The irony in all this is that Hawaii is largely a one-party state that has only rarely given power to the GOP.

Maybe Democrats felt that, because they hold so many elected offices, they could afford to go after one of their own.

But the party should seriously consider whether the ultimate outcome from the beef over Thielen might drive some away from the party and send more Republicans and independents to office.

Democrats should keep in mind that the trend nationally is away from party affiliation. (This month, California held its first-ever one-ballot primary.)

Here at home, races for county mayors, councils, prosecuting attorneys and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are nonpartisan. Those are powerful, influential jobs, yet voters don’t need parties to tell them who to vote for.