Announcement of Zone Humiliates Delegate
Even though he was not on the roster of speakers nor was he
anywhere to be seen at Secretary of State John Kerry’s elaborate, international
“Our Ocean” Conference, American Samoa Congressional Delegate Eni
Faleomavaega, the Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Asia-Pacific
subcommittee, isn’t dead. Nor is he in a
coma and is not even bedridden any more.
Indeed, he has been seen ever more frequently, even if only for photo
opportunities, since he first emerged in March from his still unrevealed
illness last October.
In fact, after a nine month and three day absence, he
returned to the dais of the House Foreign Affairs Committee this week for a
hearing on one of his pet issues: U.S.
– India relations. Watching it from here on the Internet, he
appears to have regained some of the weight he lost but he spoke from a
prepared statement for his opening remarks, repeatedly stumbling over the
text. Moreover, he seemed listless in
the subsequent round of questioning, but he did stay for the entire hearing.
So, he clearly is well enough to consider substantive issues
so imagine the humiliation Faleomavaega must have felt when, without any prior
consultation with him, President Obama via video announced to the Our Ocean conference
that he would be creating the world’s largest ocean reserve between American Samoa islands and Hawaii, a move that could have enormous ramifications
for the fishing industry that is the foundation of the territory’s private
sector.
The program of this year’s annual “Pacific Day” having been
set before Obama’s surprise announcement, it does not appear that this
embarrassment played any part in Faleomavaega not being on the program of an
event he has dominated in years past. Even
though he reportedly put in a brief appearance at the New
Zealand embassy at the tail end of the
embassy’s “Pacific Day” program and was introduced from the podium, he did not
speak nor was he at the earlier seminar that was held prior to the island-style
dinner and cultural entertainment.
Rather, Faleomavaega limited himself to issuing a subdued
press release. While gamely playing the loyal foot soldier
in the Obama army by saying he appreciated
the President’s "focus on combating threats of overfishing and carbon
pollution in the Pacific and their long-term negative effects on the health of
our marine ecosystems and the livelihood of our people,” he went on to admit he
was “very concerned that the stakeholders, including Territorial Delegates, the
House Committee on Natural Resources, and U.S. tuna fishermen and processors,
were not consulted in advance about the possible impact some of these initiatives
may have on Pacific Island economies, including American Samoa, which is a
single-industry economy almost entirely dependent on the U.S. tuna fishing and
processing industry.”
Perhaps it gave him some solace—certainly some cover--to
point out that he was not the only one caught by surprise but none of the
others he named were among Obama’s earliest supporters when as a junior senator
in 2008 Obama announced he would challenge Hillary Clinton for their party’s
presidential nomination. It has been
nearly six years now since Obama took office and the ailing delegate has little
to show for his loyalty to the President. Every election he runs ads listing all the federal funds that have come to American Samoa during his tenure but ninety percent of those programs are formula grants that do not depend on who is representing the territory in Congress.
Obamacare Ruling Another Setback for Faleomavaega
As a matter of fact, Faleomavaega suffered yet another setback this week when the Obama administration took away Obamacare (ACA) from the territories. He and the other congressional delegates had backed their island governments’ pleas for tailoring the program to their special needs but up until now the response always has been “the law is the law and there is nothing we can do.” However, some government official discovered the Public Health Service Act definition of “state” had not been broadened to include the territories, so they solved their headache by pulling the rug out from under the islands altogether.
As a matter of fact, Faleomavaega suffered yet another setback this week when the Obama administration took away Obamacare (ACA) from the territories. He and the other congressional delegates had backed their island governments’ pleas for tailoring the program to their special needs but up until now the response always has been “the law is the law and there is nothing we can do.” However, some government official discovered the Public Health Service Act definition of “state” had not been broadened to include the territories, so they solved their headache by pulling the rug out from under the islands altogether.
Once again Faleomavaega was forced to put his best face on the
disaster by issuing a press release that played down the setback by saying “While I am pleased that a response has
been issued, the response falls short of the request put forward by the
Territorial Delegates to allow additional time for Congress to reconsider how
our constituents could more fully benefit from the ACA.” The Western Pacific Fishery Management
Council (WPFMC), which also was not consulted, issued a much tougher press release of its own, in which it said Obama's Marine Monument Expansion "Betrays US
Fishermen."
Even though Faleomavaega said the White House had informed
him that Obama “will seek input and comments from stakeholders, including
fishermen, scientists, conservation experts, elected officials, and others in
the region, to share their views before moving forward with these initiatives,”
one WPFMC official lamented that he had never seen one of these zones modified
once they had been announced. In other words, this is a done deal.
At the same time on ACA, while the delegate said “I will
continue to work with my Congressional colleagues towards resolving our
concerns,” he knows full well that his party does not have the votes it did in
2010 when Obamacare passed and he certainly is in no position now to get
congressional changes to the law—not even if all the territorial delegates—all Democrats—acted
in concert. If anything, the Republican
held House most likely would want to strip Obamacare from the 50 states, not
restore the program to the territories.
And that brings us to politics. If recent trends hold, Republicans will gain,
not lose, seats in the House, further relegating Faleomavaega to long-term
minority status and prospects look good for the GOP capturing the Senate as
well. So perhaps the best hope he would
have to mitigate the commercial damage of the new conservation zone is to
enlist a Republican-controlled Congress to find a way to block Obama. But as a Democrat who has made a career of
attacking Republicans, he is hardly in a position to have much influence on
that side of the aisle. Nevertheless, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) has offered rollback legislation,
but even if passed, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) wouldn’t consider
it.
So, considering the fragility of his health and his lack of
influence, Faleomavaega could not be faulted for retiring. Why put up with repeated humiliation at the
hands of the President he backed so strongly at the risk of alienating Hillary
Clinton? When the then Secretary of
State stopped in Pago Pago a couple
of years ago, the then-governor (now one of Faleomavaega’s opponents), Togiola Tulafono, asked her
to allow American Samoa to take
observer status at the Pacific Islands Forum, a request she granted. At the same time, Feloemavaega asked her to
consider debt relief for Cambodia,
a request she ignored. There may be a
reason for that. While Faleomavaega was
an early Obama supporter, Togiola backed Hillary Clinton for the presidential
nomination.
Earlier this year, Time Magazine revealed that Hillary keeps an enemies list
and quoted a book on Hillary that said “Almost six years later most Clinton
aides can still rattle off the names of traitors and the favors that had been
done for them, then provide details of just how each of the guilty had gone on
to betray the Clintons—as if it all had happened just a few hours before.” Most likely, as the Pago
Pago episode demonstrates, Faleomavaega is on that
list.
So it should come as no surprise that, as inappropriate as it was in the context of the
hearing at which he was speaking in January last year, Faleomavaega tried to
extend an olive branch to Secretary Clinton.
CNS reported he “used his time during the House Foreign Affairs
Committee hearing on the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya to essentially
give his endorsement for Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016, saying, ‘I
salute you and I look ahead to 2016, wishing you much success and extending to
you my highest regards.’" CNS also
noted the irony that while he used his questioning time to open with a
political statement, he went on to say “It is no good for any of us to use this
tragedy for political gain. This was a terrorist attack, first and
foremost. We must not lose sight of this brutal fact.” Irony? Try hypocrisy.
The Campaign Has Begun
Clearly he was trying to desperately make amends with the exiting chief U.S. diplomat but it is likely too little too late. That time was when he chose to endorse Obama. Yet, by all indications, he plans to push on. The American Samoa election office has made filing papers available to prospective candidates and six campaigns have picked up petition packets. The media have identified five candidates who have announced for the seat but the election office has declined to identify who has picked up the six packets.
Clearly he was trying to desperately make amends with the exiting chief U.S. diplomat but it is likely too little too late. That time was when he chose to endorse Obama. Yet, by all indications, he plans to push on. The American Samoa election office has made filing papers available to prospective candidates and six campaigns have picked up petition packets. The media have identified five candidates who have announced for the seat but the election office has declined to identify who has picked up the six packets.
While the media for some reason refuse to speculate, it is
most logical to believe Faleomavaega supporters have picked up the sixth
packet. Making a formal announcement
and holding a campaign kickoff are not required. Indeed, in 2012 Faleomavaega did neither and
still won a solid victory. As far as federal
government authorities are concerned, one becomes a candidate for Congress when
one files a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, and
Faleomavaega has done that, albeit prior to his illness. (Note the timing: Faleomavaega made his
endorsement of Clinton on January 23, 2013 and filed his 2014
candidacy on January 31, 2013). As far as the territorial government is
concerned, one becomes a candidate when the papers and sufficient petition
signatures are filed and fees paid by September 2.
Tuna Interests Seem Clueless; Or Is It Appeasement?
More telling as to his plans, he already has raised substantial funds since falling ill—over $40,000. That is more than all than all his opponents combined. As usual, many of the donations so far have come from big donors with Asian names. Perhaps surprising, however, he also has attracted a number of large donations from tuna interests. Surely they knew at the time there was little he could do for them, particularly while still recuperating in bed, but a more likely explanation is they donated to keep him from hurting them, even if he cannot help.
More telling as to his plans, he already has raised substantial funds since falling ill—over $40,000. That is more than all than all his opponents combined. As usual, many of the donations so far have come from big donors with Asian names. Perhaps surprising, however, he also has attracted a number of large donations from tuna interests. Surely they knew at the time there was little he could do for them, particularly while still recuperating in bed, but a more likely explanation is they donated to keep him from hurting them, even if he cannot help.
The fishing folks vividly recall Faleomavaega’s harangues against StarKist over the years for paying its executives major salaries while
cannery workers have been paid well below the U.S.
minimum wage. And they painfully know
his role in promoting the law that is set to bring canneries workers under the U.S.
minimum wage. Then there also is a secret amendment he offered on a Coast Guard authorization bill that would have
loosened the rules on tuna boats that could fish Pacific waters under U.S.
license without guaranteeing delivery to the territory's canneries.
Even if the media are not connecting all these dots for the
voters or even reporting on the candidates who are, you can bet that
Faleomavaega’s opponents are working the villages to convince the voters the
time has come to thank Eni for his service by retiring him so he can spend his
remaining time more fully recovering from illness and enjoying his family. We can only hope they succeed.
1 comment:
You state that the establishment of the ocean preserve "could have enormous ramifications for the fishing industry that is the foundation of the territory’s private sector."
However, the fact of the matter is that for several decades now less than 5% of the US tuna purse seiners fleet that off loads in American Samoa has come from the newly created sanctuary (which is actually just an expansion of the previous preserve).
So the truth is that this move will likely have very little (if any) impact impact on the tuna industry in American Samoa.
Of course, commercial fishermen are always going to cry over the closure of any areas to them. But the historic fact is that they want unfettered access to fish anywhere they choose to fish at any time they choose to do so, and have always, ALWAYS, fought against any restrictions on their activities (that is, until their fishing grounds collapse, which is when they begin the hunt for new fishing grounds only to repeat the process).
I remember back in the 1990s when talk was first being floated about placing limits and restrictions on the fishing of some species of tuna (e.g., Big Eye) and the unanimous cry heard from commercial fishermen was that no limits or restrictions were needed, that the supply was near infinite. (What a difference 20 years of overfishing can make!)
So I don't think it is asking too much to leave at least some ocean area relatively unmolested by commercial fishing.
Post a Comment