Ed Case may have just hurt his candidacy. He is quoted in the rightwing blog, Hawaii Reporter. Speaking of Senator Akaka and the Republican candidate, Jerry Coffee, Ed said:
"Voters can choose between extremes on both sides or someone who is more moderate and in the middle of the political spectrum," Case says.
If this statement gets picked up, it is likely to hurt him in two ways.
First, it is not only rude, but it's pretty nutty to imply that Akaka is a "political extremist." It reinforces the notion that Case believes that anyone who disagrees with him is a fool.
But perhaps more important, this characterization of Jerry Coffee, a longtime POW in Vietnam, is likely to alienate a lot of the Republican voters Ed is counting on crossing over into the Democratic primary and provide him the winning margin. If this inprudent comment gets media play, Ed may have kissed good bye a few percentage points in a tight race.
I think the Akaka campaign should issue a statement criticizing Case's characterization of both the Senator AND Jerry Coffee. Or perhaps Senator Inouye should make the statement, calling attention to the sacrifices made by Coffee, which makes him worthy of respect, even when we disagree. And, by implication, respect is due Inouye, Akaka and all veterans. Perhaps Ed, who comes from a wealthy family and who never served in the military, should take time to think before he makes such comments again.
Ed made a misstep here, and we should be able to use this against him.
Here's the link to the Hawaii Reporter story: Case quoted in Hawaii Reporter