FALEOMAVAEGA COMING HOME NEXT WEEK?

Although there has been nothing here in the media, Radio KHJ-FM News Director Monica Miller in an August 12 interview with Radio Australia said that she had been told by Congressional Delegate Eni Faleomavaega’s (D-AS) office that he will be coming home at the end of this month (August) and will stay until after the election.  She also confirmed that she would have asked the Congressional Delegation (CODEL) where Eni was had the media not been barred when they stopped here August 10 on a Pacific tour that also took them to New Zealand, Australia, the Northern Marianas and Hawaii (see previous post).

In her first editorial since the delegation’s visit, Samoa News Editor Rhonda Annesley in an August 22 editorial ignored the question of the delegation’s importance, the missed opportunity, the media ban and the delegate’s absence but did write “My thoughts on transparency and accountability in government [are] just that: transparency and accountability.  It is not a moral issue — decency and privacy are not part of its boundaries, because the money you are paid with is taxpayers’ money, and the tasks and services you are being asked to perform for that money are public duties.”

“This is why the public is still waiting for an explanation from Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin and Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga about their health issues.  It’s not personal… it’s not lapisi — it’s public information. GONGGGG  And, if you have a problem with this — don’t run for office, don’t work in government. Instead, work in the private sector, where transparency and accountability do have boundaries, because your fiduciary and work responsibilities are for the owner(s) or shareholders of the company or corporation, not for the public.”

If Miller is correct, she and Annesley soon may have ample opportunity to seek answers from Faleomavaega, although neither of them has communicated publicly whether they have asked the Governor about his extended absence now that he has returned.

While he will have missed the entire congressional August recess back here, traditionally a time for campaigning in an election year, perhaps Faleomavaega needed this time for additional rehabilitation before facing the public.  It would explain his absence from the CODEL led by a committee on which he sits as the second most senior minority member.   

What may be driving the timing is an important international meeting convening just across the sea in Apia. Although it also could be said of the “Our Ocean” conference Secretary of State John Kerry convened in June in Washington, just a short drive from congressional buildings where Faleomavaega has his offices, perhaps he was not well enough to attend that gathering at that time, even though he did attend a social function at the New Zealand embassy at the end of the meeting.

Now comes the United Nations third decennial conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS)  that will run from September 1-4 in Samoa.  Heads of state and government and ministers from around the world will be there and climate change is expected to be at the top of the agenda.  It is the last major UN-sponsored meeting before the Secretary General’s September Climate Summit and the opening of the General Assembly in New York.

 Samoa is expecting 3,000 delegates from 193 member states as well as NGOs, IGOs, the private sector, academia, the media and others.  It is just the sort of meeting Faleomavaega would never miss under ordinary circumstances, particularly as he for four years had been chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, Pacific and the Global Environment (APGE)when his party controlled the House.  Although Republicans took away that panel’s jurisdiction over global environment that likely would not stop Faleomavaega from attending this meeting.

One cautionary hote, however.  Faleomavaega will not be a "big shot" at this meeting.  As American Samoa is not a member of the United Nations, he likely would be there as a member of the U.S. delegation and, as such, would not have the independence to speak.  When then-Secretary of State Condolezza Rice held a multi-lateral meeting of foreign ministers also in Apria several years ago, Faleomavaega, who was in nearby American Samoa at the time and was chairman of the House APGE subcommittee, asked to be able to speak at that gathering, but was turned down.  In turn, he declined the invitation to attend.

Moreover, the American Samoa 2014 election filing deadline is September 2, so he could take the short plane ride over to Tutuila to make the dramatic, though unnecessary, gesture of personally appearing at the election office to file his candidacy for the November 4 election.   No doubt the media will be in waiting.

There is one thing curious about Monica Miller’s statement to Radio Australia, however.  There usually is no more important month in Congress than a September before a November election.  This year is no exception.  After having heard from constituents at home in August, Congress tends to unfinished business in September on a priority basis, so it can adjourn in October to campaign for the November election, hoping not to have to return in December to tie up loose ends in a lame duck session.

Even though he needs the time to reconnect with voters after nearly a year’s absence, it is difficult to see how Faleomavaega can stay away from Washington when there is so much unfinished business for American Samoa still pending, including the Omnibus Territories Bill, the FY2015 Interior Department budget and an array of other measures of which American Samoa is, should or should not be a part.  Then there also is the matter of President Obama's proposed expansion of a Pacific conservation zone.

Soon we will know.

MEMO TO FALEOMAVAEGA: WATCH SABLAN AND GABBARD SHOW YOU HOW IT'S DONE

He isn’t dead.  He isn’t in a coma.  He isn’t incapacitated.  He’s been receiving visitors in his office since March.  He’s been speaking on the Floor of the House since April.  He’s been participating in committee hearings since June.  So, whether he was going to be on the House Natural Resources Committee-led congressional delegation (CODEL) to the Pacific or not this month, he certainly had the capability of weighing in on the itinerary and agenda of the trip.

After all, Faleomavaega is the second most senior Democrat on the Full Committee  and the most senior Democrat on the subcommittee of greatest importance to American Samoa: Fish, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs (FWOIA).  Moreover, it is not like this trip was put together hastily at the last minute.  The CODEL is using a military aircraft, and that cannot simply be ordered up from the Pentagon at the last moment like a taxicab.  Even if American Samoa were just a refueling stop added at the last moment, which would have been even worse because it would have meant that the CODEL was not planning to stop there at all, he could have had a say.

So, there can be only a limited number of reasons why Faleomavaega was not a member of the delegation: either his physicians have told him he was not yet medically fit to fly; he did not want the people in American Samoa to see how bad he looks until he regains more weight and strength; or he hoped by staying away he could draw attention away from the visit and downplay its significance in an effort to minimize public awareness of his absence.

Because we could not get any closer to the congressional delegation than anyone else not inside the airport VIP room, and since no one but one congressional candidate has said one word about the visit—not the governor, not the delegate’s chief of staff nor anyone else in or out of the room, we have had to rely on the accounts of others even to find out who was on the delegation.  It appears we were slightly off.  The delegation consisted not of two full committee chairmen, three subcommittee chairman and two Ranking Minority Members, but of two full committee chairmen, five subcommittee chairmen and one Ranking Minority Member.

According to press accounts from other stops, U.S. Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) was not a member of the delegation but two others were: Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Rep. Rob Woodall, Chairman of the powerful Rules Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process.  All legislation must pass through the Rules Committee before being considered on the House Floor.

In our previous post we suggested the importance of this delegation but let Northern Marianas Delegate Gregorio “Kilili” Sablan (I-MP) characterize it : “this is certainly the most important congressional group to visit the Northern Marianas at one time.”  He made this comment when introducing the group on Saipan, which they visited over the course of two days following stops at Pago Pago; Auckland, Rotorua and Christchurch, New Zealand; and Sydney, Newcastle and Darwin, Australia.

Whether any of those other cities were refueling stops is unclear but Saipan decidedly was not.  Nor were there any media restrictions for security reasons or otherwise.  Indeed, it is puzzling what kind of security threat the delegation thought they faced here.  We understand that their ribbon cutting ceremony on Saipan was about a two-minute drive from a mosque that serves the island’s primarily South Asian immigrant Muslim community. The delegation also got full coverage in the local papers and several of the members agreed to interviews for the local television station.

.

Delegation leader U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) told the press that “Kilili exerted a special effort to convince them to come over.  ‘He pressured us again and again,’ he said in jest.”  Perhaps in jest but it did take the kind of persistence that apparently our delegate could not or would not exert.  When you are only working limited hours anyway, energy spent taking to the House Floor to denounce the nickname of the Washington football team or praise the election of new prime minister of India is time that could have been devoted to working with Doc Hastings on the CODEL itinerary and agenda.

On Sablan’s immigration bill that already has passed the committee, Hastings told the press that when he returned to Washington he would be pressing the House leadership to schedule a Floor vote before Congress adjourns.  In contrast, a Senate Omnibus Territories Bill that Faleomavaega in a big showy press release commended the Senate for passing, is thought to have little chance of clearing the House, which has only a dozen legislative days remaining before adjournment for the midterm elections.  That bill also might have drawn Hastings’ attention if Faleomavaega were on the trip to push for it, especially during a stop here.  By now, our local media certainly must be aware of the contrast of the CODEL stops here and in Saipan.  So, it is time for them to ask some questions on behalf of the public they are supposed to serve.

• Why wasn’t Eni on the delegation?What did the governor and other ASG officials discuss with the delegation while they were here? 
• Did anyone make reference to Hastings’ statement on the issue and ask for the delegation’s intervention with the White House on the conservation expansion zone question? 
• Why was press barred from talking to the CODEL in American Samoa but not in the Northern Mariana Islands? 
• What was the security threat that concerned the delegation? 
• Who made the decision to bar the media? 
• Was this really just an accommodation to Faleomavaega?
• Why haven’t any of the congressional candidates spoken up?
• Why hasn’t anyone in the public spoken up?

Also contrast Faleomavaega’s weak statement on the conservation zone with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s (D-HI) courageous position on Iraq.  When President Obama announced the zone expansion in June without consulting the delegate, Faleomavaega's office issued a statement quoting him as saying “I appreciate that the President will 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 . . . [h]owever, while I fully support [his] commitment to protecting our oceans, I am very concerned that the stakeholders, including Territorial Delegates . . . were not consulted in advance about the possible impact some of these initiatives may have . . .”   How about if he had instead said: “I am deeply disappointed the President did not consult with me, the senior member of his party on the Subcommittee on Fish, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs.  I will be requesting the chairman hold hearings on this initiative.”  

Gabbard, on the other hand, on one of the recent Sunday national talk shows forthrightly said the U.S. counterterrorism mission is adrift and needs to be refocused to target and dismantle the Islamic State.  She criticized President Obama’s response to the threat posed by the Islamic State, recalling how a White House official said last week that U.S. air strikes in Iraq “are not an authorization of a broad-based counter-terrorism campaign” against the extremists. “So if our mission is not to take out the Islamic extremists who continue to threaten and wage war against us, then I think we've got a real problem here," she said. 

Brave stuff for someone who is a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, which by its nature always backs the president down the line on policy issues and who also is on the House Armed Services Committee where, as a freshman legislator, she is expected to do the same.  Perhaps while he was recuperating in that Honolulu hospital room last year, someone removed Faleomavaega’s cajones and passed them to Gabbard.  Tough stuff for our macho, male-dominated Samoan society to swallow.

Falemoavaega’s impotence has not been lost on the groups--even his own local Democratic Party--that oppose Obama’s conservation zone expansion: they are abandoning him in droves.  All of them have filed their arguments directly with the White House, not through Faleomavaega’s office.  We have no doubts that his enforcer, Lisa Williams, has had or will have strong words with AS Democratic Party Chairman Ali’imau JR Scanlan—and probably the others--about that violation of protocol.   Apparently she comes unglued when she loses control.

If the question were asked of his office, they could always claim that the White House asked for the responses but protocol in American Samoa in the past always has been to submit them through the congressional office so a cover transmittal letter of support could be added.  They cannot claim that it had to be done this way because he is of a different party than the president or that he has a different position than the petitioners or because of the short fuse for reponses coming during a congressional recess since he is staying in Washington “because of the press of congressional business.”

We are only a couple of weeks away from the candidate filing deadline for Congress.  Although he, himself, has made no formal announcement nor have we received any word on when he intends to return to the territory, we can assume the “press of congressional business” will keep him in Washington until adjournment.  However, the way he has handled this conservation zone matter and the visit of the CODEL raises more questions about his fitness to continue, no matter how well he heals between now and election day.

To date, we have avoided calling for him to step down before the end of his term but since he still has not told anyone what ails him after almost 10 months, how will anyone know if he would be fit enough to serve another term.  What happens if he suffers a relapse?  Can we afford to be without a full time, fully functioning delegate?   After all, on the eve of the 2012 election he publicly announced, as quoted atop this blog, all the surgeries he had had and conditions he had suffered in recent years and asked for everyone to vote for him again anyway, regardless of what his future health might be.

Then, nine months into his new term, he took ill again, this time with a condition he has declined to identify.  Perhaps the time has come for him to reassess his situation and rather than file for reelection, announce his resignation and recommend the governor hold a special election concurrent with the general election to fill his vacancy, thus giving someone else a chance to start building seniority ahead of the enlarged Republican majority expected to be elected in November and take office in January.

To look after our affairs in Washington, can we afford two more years of a sick, old man in the minority who seemingly no one much listens to anyway?

LEGITIMACY OF FALEOMAVAEGA CANDIDACY QUESTIONED; Dem. Party, Fono and Others Working Around Him

In the first commentary since the departure of the Congressional delegation last Sunday, Samoa News Editor-in-Chief Rhonda Annesley, in an August 15 signed editorial questioned whether Faleomavaega legally can run for re-election this November without setting foot in American Samoa in over a year.

“I have a simple question:” asked Annesley, “Can Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin legally run for office, without having to step on American Samoa soil?” 

Since only Congress can establish the eligibility of its members, the answer would seem to be yes, he can, but the question certainly is reasonable since, until recently, even prospective voters—including those serving abroad in the military or attending school—could register to vote only in person in American Samoa and only during the period the election office has the rolls open.  The cost of coming back to the island was a severe hardship for scholarship students who might have turned 18 only while away at school and virtual impossible for members of the armed forces—especially those deployed in combat zones.  A change in federal rules to ease overseas voting forced American Samoa to loosen its requirement.

However, Annesley shared our lament in our earlier post that he might campaign for re-election as an absentee candidate, rhetorically asking: “Can he run a “talofae” [sympathy] campaign — ‘I have served you faithfully for 28 years, I am recovering… please… vote for me one more time?’”  Sarcastically viewing it as a bad idea, she concluded: “Hey, I’ll vote for him… if he’s running… I’m all about ‘talofae’… GONGGGG!” [Gong meaning not]

The impact of having an ailing delegate continues to be felt.  Had he been a member of the Natural Resources Committee-led visit here last weekend, there should have been no question that American Samoa would have been more than just a refueling stop.  Or, perhaps, despite his very high seniority, he simply lacked the clout with the Committee to get them to stay longer, calculating that it would be better to stay off the delegation and not telegraph his inability to get a longer, substantive stop than to hope the delegation would get in and out of the territory with little public notice.  So far, it appears he has succeeded since only this blog has made much ado about his absence and we do not believe we are read much at the village level.  We cannot substitute for local media coverage.

In her editorial, Annesley revealed that she had been away ill herself for the past two weeks, so she gets a pass for her paper under-reporting the significance of the visit and what might have been accomplished—especially with the Obama conservation zone expansion. Perhaps she will make up for that in the week to come.  Be that as it may, however, if Faleomavaega’s condition has proven one thing, it is that we need more than him in Washington to look after our interests.

Local Democrats Bypass Delegate on Conservation Zone Issue

Indeed, the delegate’s political weakness in Washington was further demonstrated by a Saturday story in Samoa News about the local Democratic Party writing a letter to President Obama to appeal for a reversal of his decision to expand the Pacific conservation zone.   A letter from a political party to a President is unusual and such a letter written while one of its members is a sitting member of Congress is even more unusual if not unprecedented.  Clearly, even though his party has endorsed him for reelection, they clearly have lost confidence that Faleomavaega on his own--whether because of physical weakness of political weakness--can get Obama to turn around on a major decision threatening to negatively impact the territory. 

It was perhaps sensing just how uninfluential Faleomavaega is in Washington that prompted the local Democrats to weigh in with a letter bypassing him and instead going directly to Obama.  Protocol in the past has been to write to Faleomavaega and ask him to convey concerns to Executive Branch.  But there is so much at stake and clearly Faleomavaega is not firing on all cylinders that a typical approach through his office is too much of a risk.

The story of the letter, written by party chairman Ali’imau JR Scanlan, inexplicably appears buried in the paper’s sports section rather than somewhere in the “A” (news) section, if not on page one, where all previous stories related to this issue appeared this week.  Possibly the editors were embarrassed to be publishing an article written by Faleomavaega’s sister-in-law, who is not only an editor and writer for the paper but the territory’s Democratic National Committeewoman.  Of course, the paper carried no disclaimer of those facts.  Perhaps the editor, if not the writer, was aware that such an article would embarrass the delegate by telegraphing that the party was working around him, not following standard protocol of going through him.  It looks like the writer put party over family ties on this one.

Fono, Tuna Community, Chamber Also Bypassing Faleomavaega 

It is not lost on the American Samoa Democrats and other groups who are appealing directly to the White House, including the Fono, the American Tunaboat Association and the American Samoa Chamber of Commerce that compounding the problem of Faleomavaega’s continuing incapacitation, his usual allies in Congress are gone or going.  Sen. Danny Akaka (D-HI) has retired, former Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) was defeated, Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the closest member to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) are retiring after November and Sen. Dan Inouye (D-HI), who years ago was bestowed with an honorary matai title for his help on our issues, has passed away.

Speaking of Inouye, the primary defeat on Saturday of Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI), an Inouye protégé, to fill Inouye’s unexpired term, has thrown the Hawaii Democratic Party into disarray, which also further weakens Faleomavaega politically because he has fewer and fewer long term allies in that state on whom he can depend to move his issues.  Moreover, there is not a single impartial national political analyst who believes the Democrats have any chance of regaining control of the House this year and many believe the way current district lines are drawn, Democrats probably cannot return to power until 2022 following the redrawing of lines after the next census.  If he were still alive and in office, Faleomavaega would be almost 80 years old.

Faleomavaega and Sablan

Contrast Faleomavaega, if you will, with his colleague from the Northern Marianas, Gregorio “Kilili” Sablan (I-MP).  Sablan is on the trip and, as we speculated in an earlier post, the Northern Marianas are getting more than refueling stop treatment.  They have not even arrived yet but already there is one newspaper story about the dinner the governor is hosting for the group on Sunday evening.  Then on Monday morning, the delegation will be special guests at the opening of the permanent Garapan public market.

Had he been given the opportunity, Governor Lolo certainly would have done the same and no doubt a ribbon cutting or other special event could have been whipped up as well.  The Northern Mariana Islands are almost a twin to American Samoa:

• both attained self-government through an elected governor the same year (1977);
• both territories are similar in population size;
• both have a substantial foreign-born population;
• both are still very dependent on federal assistance;
• both also have non-voting delegates in the U.S. House of Representatives who are members of the Democratic caucus;
• both delegates are members of the House Natural Resources Committee. 

The differences?  CNMI’s delegate is healthy and on the job full time.  Moreover, he concentrates on issues of direct relevance to CNMI and as his second committee serves on Education and the Workforce, not foreign affairs.  His travel has been limited largely to returning to his islands, which he does frequently according to his website; he is not distracted from his focus by adventures into such things as Asian politics, Hawaiian sovereignty or the nickname of Washington, D.C.’s National Football League team.  Only in his third term, Sablan already has substantive legislative achievements (Faleomavaega has none) and is the Ranking Member of the Natural Resources Insular subcommittee, which means he would be in line to become chairman if the Democrats took back control of the House.

So, as the CODEL works its way through its visit to CNMI, gently guided by Delegate Sablan, we shall see what our leaders, our media and the candidates for Faleomavaega’s job have to say.  Frankly, our politicians should be enraged and offended that our territory has gotten such short shrift by such an important and influential group of House members.  There are ways to express this without blaming the delegation.  It is the fault of our delegate. If he is not up to the job and his staff cannot get his job done for him, he needs to quit hanging on.

Faleomavaega and Gabbard

Finally, if you want further contrast in Washington, compare Faleomavaega to U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI):

• both have Samoan and palagi (Hunkin; Gabbard) blood;
• both were born in American Samoa;
• both were raised and spent their formative years in Hawaii;
• neither has built a personal famly home here;
• neither has spent substantial time here over the years;
• both have served in the U.S. Army in combat zones (Faleomavaega-Vietnam; Gabbard-Iraq);
• both are Democrats and are members of the House Democratic caucus;
• both are on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and its subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific (AP);
• Faleomavaega is Ranking Member of the AP subcommittee and, while he was incapacitated, Gabbard (despite serving 12 fewer terms than Faleomavaega) was next in line and in his absence did fill that role at hearings;
• both have interest in issues involving India and serve on the Congressional India caucus; when the new prime minister was elected, Faleomavaega sent a congratulatory message; Gabbard got him on the telephone;
• both are members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC).

Unlike Faleomavaega, who remains largely unknown in Washington after almost 13 terms, Gabbard, who is almost 40 years younger, has taken the town by storm.  Before even being sworn in, she was appointed as a vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee; Faleomavaega once ran for a seat on the DNC from American Samoa but was defeated; if Faleomavaega wanted to take some solace from Gabbard’s achievement, it came at the expense of  U.S. Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA).  Honda, who was dumped in facor of Gabbard for the DNC’s A-P vice chairmanship, was behind elevating then-freshman U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) to succeed him as CAPAC chairman over Faleomavaega, who had loyally served as vice chairman to Honda for seven years. 

The selection of Chu also broke with past precedent of alternating the chairmanship between Mainland members and island members.  When Faleomavaega left the vice chairmanship after this humiliation, CAPAC gave the number two slot to Guam Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D).  Bordallo's predecessor in the House, then-Rep. Robert Underwood (D-GU), served as CAPAC chairman in only his third term; Faleomavaega never has.

Gabbard, who also serves on the Armed Services Committee (a natural choice, given the huge military presence in Hawaii) also has been in high demand by the national media, particularly on military and veterans’ issues.  When the VA health scandal broke recently, Gabbard was on numerous national news shows.  As Iraq comes back into the news, Gabbard—who is on of only two Members of Congress with combat service in Iraq—also can be seen frequently on numerous national talk shows.  She even has been on in connection with the two hurricanes that recently passed through Hawaii.   As far as we can tell from our research, Faleomavaega never has been on a national news show--not even during his four years as AP subcommittee chairman--except for the Comedy Channel's Colbert Report.  [With apologies to Rhonda Annesley--GONG].

So, while Eni limps around, if he is moving much at all, Tulsi Gabbard has more than taken up the slack and lack of Samoan visibility in Washington while the American Samoa Democratic Party, the Foono, ATA and the Chamber all have gotten into the act, this time bypassing the delegate rather than shoring him up.

So, yes, he can run again even if he does not come home before the election.  But why would he want to?  And why would we re-elect him? 

FALEOMAVAEGA SKIPS VISIT OF KEY HOUSE COMMITTEE TO AMERICAN SAMOA; Absence raises new questions

Oh, to have been walking on Monday down the corridor of the congressional building that houses Faleomavaega’s offices. Visitors might have been surprised to have heard the sound of champagne corks popping and hands slapping in “high-fives” as the delegate’s chief enforcer, Lisa Williams, and her communications staff surely must have been celebrating the quiet Sunday arrival in Pago Pago then less than 90 minutes later the departure of a high ranking delegation of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives.  The group flew in and out without ever having seen the place or having had to entertain the question “Where’s Eni?”  So, the island went back to enjoying a typically quiet Sunday afternoon of church and family activities.

To add to what must have been the sheer delight of Faleomavaega’s staff, the media did not even make any mention of his absence in their coverage, despite the irony that he is the senior Democrat on the visiting House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs (FWOIA) and the second most senior Democrat on the Full Committee, whose chairman headed the delegation. 

Did you read that, folks?  To repeat it with emphasis, the House subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs.  Sink in yet?

The media chose, instead, merely to shrug it off as a short refueling stop for yet another transiting “CODEL” while noting that the press was barred for “security reasons,” although Samoa News did acknowledge in passing that the exclusion was unprecedented.  If his staff’s mission were not to let this delegation’s visit serve as a platform for raising more questions about Faleomavaega’s extended, nine-plus month absence from the territory, they succeeded.  Totally.

Without fear of any contradiction, it is not an overstatement to say that the Natural Resources Committee, and particularly the FWOIA subcommittee, whose chairman and Ranking Member also were on the trip, is the single most important committee to American Samoa in either the House or the Senate.  The local media did a grave disservice to its readers and listeners not to point that out.  For the sake of our readership in the territory, we will.

While not reflected in its title, the Committee on Natural Resources (which for many years was called the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs) has primary legislative jurisdiction over all federal matters involving the U.S. territories.  So important is this committee that all delegates from the five Caribbean and Pacific U.S. territories, including American Samoa, are automatically assigned to serve on it; rarely has any of them left it.  Moreover, considering the current major issue of President Obama’s expansion of the U.S. Pacific conservation zone, which could have devastating impact on our local fishing industry, the subcommittee that oversees fisheries and oceans as well as insular legislation, could not be more important to us.  Yet, the media says nothing and the people slumber.

Exactly who was on the delegation?   For starters, the chairman of the Full Committee, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), was the leader.  When Obama announced expansion of the conservation zone in June (without any consultation with Faleomavaega), Hastings issued a statement opposing it.  Yet, if the local media covered his objection at the time it was announced, we missed it.  In their coverage of the stopover, neither Samoa News nor KHJ-FM made any mention of it.  Moreover, if the governor discussed the problem with Hastings, he has not told the press and four days now after the visit, it has to be wondered if the media has even asked.

[While it is possible, though not likely, Faleomavaega’s input on the conservation zone was not sought because of his illness and extended absence from the House, despite his having been an early and ardent supporter of Obama’s first nomination, perhaps he can take solace in the knowledge that many House Democrats are complaining the President is ignoring them, according to a story in The Hill.]

To further underscore the magnitude of the media disconnect between the visit and the issues, Samoa News in its August 13 edition (two days after the departure of the CODEL) carried a story top of page one left side under the headline “Marine Sanctuary Expansion Looms”  and published yet another page one story the following day .  These stories describe efforts underway to write letters of opposition to the President and a resolution working its way through the Fono.  Yet not a word on Doc Hastings’ opposition, which supports ASG’s position.  Not a single word.  Here is the chairman of the powerful committee that has legislative jurisdiction over the issue and his fisheries and oceans subcommittee chairman.  Was the delegation briefed on these efforts and was their support enlisted?  If so, why has the governor not said anything?  If not, why has the media not asked?

If it were not so serious for the future of our economy, this tactical misfire would be comical.  In its way, it is reminiscent of an amusing video well circulated on the Internet of police racing into a bank to stop a robbery in progress but in their effort to get into the bank overlooking right in front of them the robbers in the getaway car, which maneuvers between the cop cars to escape undetected.  Other questions that seemed to have slipped the minds of our reporters:  Why was this only a refueling stop?  Why was the media barred?  Why did the delegation not even leave the VIP room?  What did the governor discuss with them?   Are these not questions the media should be asking?

The delegation also included Frank Lucas (R-OK), chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture which, among other things, is the committee of jurisdiction over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) more commonly known here as food stamps, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, both of which are of fundamental importance to American Samoa. 

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) was also on the delegation.  He is one of the so-called “cardinals” who chair the 13 subcommittees of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations.  Kingston’s Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has funding responsibility  for these departments and agencies: Education, Health and Human Services, Labor and other related agencies including the Social Security Administration and the National Labor Relations Board.  It also oversees workforce safety and development, health programs, social services, education, and retirement security, and related functions.  We receive funding from virtually all of these bodies.  Is that not worth a question or two? 

Kingston, whose congressional district is home to the Chicken of the Sea processing plant in Lyons, GA, also is the House member who tried to reduce the “Buy American” content percentage for tuna in the agriculture appropriations bill.  Is that not something about which the people might like to know more?  The jursidiction over Labor also includes minimum wage.

Then there was Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), the chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.  Might not Utu Abe Malae have wanted to spend some time with him.  Or Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), who is the Ranking Member of the Agriculture subcommittee that handles legislation on rural development, including telephone service?  Might not the ASTCA officials have wanted time with him?  Or Del. Gregorio Sablan (I-MP), the Ranking Member of the Fish, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular subcommittee?

So, now the big question on our minds if not on those of our crack local reporters: Where was Eni?
 

Readers of this blog well know there is nary a congressional delegation to anywhere in the world that he has missed in a quarter century in office--until he fell ill last October.  Since that time, all we know of his travels is that he was evacuated to Hawaii for medical treatment, then to somewhere on the Mainland for “rehabilitation,” and finally to Washington, where he apparently continues rehabilitation to this day.

As we previously reported, his district director, Fai’ivae Alex Godinet (who, with the governor, was at the airport to greet the delegation), recently announced Faleomavaega would seek re-election, on his behalf asked for and received from the local Democratic Party endorsement (unanimous) for that purpose.  He apologized for Faleomavaega not being at the meeting, with a Talanei.com story characterizing him as saying “due to the work load and the work schedule with the congressional office in Washington DC, Faleomavaega is unable to make the party's meeting.”  More recently,  Radio Australia confirmed with Faleomavaega’s sister Vaitinasa Dr. Salu Hunkin-Finau, ASG’s Director of Education, that Faleomavaega would be a candidate, saying “He is doing fine and he has decided to run,” and adding, "He is busy in Washington doing his work there.”

Hello?

Congress is in summer recess and there are no committee hearings or other business going on in Washington.  Virtually every member of the House and Senate is back in their districts or states working and campaigning if not traveling abroad in congressional delegations such as the one that stopped here Sunday.  So the question remains: given the importance of this delegation, given his membership and seniority on this committee and given his proven penchant for travel, where was he?  What possibly could be of more importance than being at close quarters with these important Members of Congress on his home soil and elsewhere for a couple of weeks, particularly when most of them are ruling Republicans, to whom he has little regular access in Washington?

To its credit, Radio KHJ did air a short story about one congressional candidate being at the airport to greet the delegation that gave a little insight on the discussions and the Samoa Post published a longer story on Thursday, but it is an on-line newspaper with limited circulation.  Samoa News published nothing.  It is likely the candidate who did show up got word of the visit through an extensive network of contacts in Washington, while the other five announced aspirants to Faleomavaega’s seat were in the dark.

Why all the secrecy and lack of access?   It seems reasonable to assume that Faleomavaega still has health problems that preclude his travel.  Otherwise, anyone who travels as much as he does would have been on this delegation.  Perhaps in hopes his absence would go unnoticed, it is reasonable to speculate that he asked the delegation to keep their visit low key.  It appears he has succeeded.  It has been four days now and there has been no commentary by Samoa News even though the editor recently published a signed editorial that expressed great frustration at Faleomavaega’s absence from the territory for over nine months without explanation.

In fact, this trip might have been a welcome test for him as to whether his absence would continue to be unnoticed.  The press coverage suggests it has.  His strategy well may be to stay away from American Samoa altogether and campaign from his arm chair (or wheel chair?) in Washington through newspaper ads and softly voiced radio commercials begging voters to forgive him for his absence and pleading for one final term to complete his vital work on behalf of the people.  

Why not?  It could work. Anyone who has seen his recent photographs knows how bad he looks.  We would welcome the opportunity for him to come home so we could see for ourselves. However, without strong media or public criticism over his extended absence, he very well may calculate he will lose fewer votes by being away than by letting people see how old, ill, infirm and immobile he is.  He surely has our media bamboozled.  And he has the system just as he wants it because of how he fine-tuned it. 

His reelection prospects are vastly aided by the one and only American Samoa-related bill he has had enacted into law during his time in Congress: the delegate election plurality bill.  This law, passed a decade ago, which detractors derisively have labeled the “Faleomavaega Perpetual Reelection Act,” amended the federal law establishing our congressional seat to eliminate the requirement that a candidate win a majority of the vote in order to be elected.  Now only a plurality is needed.  In a multi-candidate race, the incumbent could win reelection with substantially less than a majority of the vote.  In the past, the top two vote-getters would face each other in a runoff.  That would have been dangerous for Faleomavaega in his current condition.

Faleomavaega has a very loyal support base in vote-rich Leone and the surrounding villages in Tutuila’s Western District.  The more opponents he has, the fewer votes he needs to win as long as he holds those Leone votes.  It is no accident that the well paid director of his district office is a senior high chief in Leone.  Petitions are circulating now and it is speculated he may have as many as nine opponents this year.  We will know on September 2 when petitions are due in the election office.

One other reason he has gotten away with only minimal criticism about being absent for so long both here and in Washington is that public attention has been diverted by the coincidental absence of the governor, who also has been ill and away for much of this same period.  However, Governor Lolo, who took ill in Washington in February and then recuperated in Hawaii—also without much explanation, returned to duty last week after five months away, so it will be interesting to see if public attention and the media spotlight now will turn on the delegate, especially as we move into high campaign season after Labor Day.

Lolo’s illness has fueled speculation that he may retire after a single term, thus prompting his predecessor, former governor Togiola, to get into the race for Congress.  There are those who believe that Togiola would like to use the congressional seat to regain public visibility and as a springboard back into another run at governor in 2016.  None of this conjecture has found its way into media coverage, of course, just the coconut wireless.

The on-line version of the August 1 Samoa News editorial “Gong Show: Another word for politics — Samoan style”  that asked Faleomavaega to come clean with the public on his health and intentions prompted one reader to urge the paper not to publish his propaganda in the meantime, to which the webmaster replied “Hey we're not stupid.”
 

When the media asked why they were barred from the congressional stop, they were told it was for security reasons and was requested by the delegation.  Perhaps so, but this is a taxpayer funded trip and we have our doubts.  We also will be following with interest the other stops this delegation is making in New Zealand, Australia and especially the Northern Marianas.  With the Northern Marianas delegate a member of the delegation and this being an election year for him as well, we would be very surprised if he would limit media coverage when the group is on Saipan.  Moreover, the robust Saipan media would not tolerate it.  Let’s hope our media watches on-line (as we will) and reports to the people.

Even though it has been four days since the “Faleomavaegaless” delegation was here, maybe we will hear yet from the Samoa News editor again but the way the paper and the radio station finessed his absence from this visit—which could have been far more consequential than it appears to have been, he seems to believe the local media is stupid, even if they do not.  Who can blame him?  He got away with it and the media deserves Gong Show treatment for it.  Drink up that champagne, Eni’s staff, drink up.

More Local Media Fraud on Faleomavaega?

We thought the media had turned the corner on the issue of how to handle the disappearance of Faleomavaega, who has been missing in action since being medivaced off the island since last October.  But apparently not.

Even though talanei.com earlier last week boldly ran a story questioning the health status of the Delegate, they came right back on Friday to run a press release quoting Faleomavaega from a statement he entered into the Congressional Record on the passing of Guamanian former Delegate Ben Blaz.

Does talanei.com know that Eni actually made those remarks or was it staff?  Did the staff write and submit them on their own or by direction.  Any of those methods are quite acceptable, but talanei.com provided no qualifier, leaving readers with the impression that Faleomavaega strolled over to the Floor of the House, delivered a tribute to Blaz and had his remarks entered into the Record. What is not acceptable is to continue to participate in a coverup and using this press release in this fashion amounts to just that.

Meanwhile, after promising follow up stories, Samoa News, where Eni’s sister-in-law, the Democratic National Committeewoman, is on the editorial staff, has had nothing further to say about the Delegate.   Curiously, they have not covered last week’s press conference of congressional candidate Tua’au Kereti Mata’utia, who did raise questions about Faleomavaega saying nothing of his health, but at the same time they also did not carry the press release on Ben Blaz.

Since Mata’utia is a member of the Governor’s immediate staff, is the only announced candidate for Congress and is a Democrat, it does look suspicious that the leading newspaper would not cover his press conference and once again it must be asked if Eni’s sister-in-law’s presence on the newspaper staff plays any role in the paper’s decision on what is newsworthy?

We also thought both media organizations would follow up on the story broken Friday by Saipan and Guam Washington correspondent Matt Kaye, who revealed that Eni is playing no role in moving the Omnibus Territories Bill though Congress.  Again, not a word by talanei.com or Samoa News, despite the fact that this story has major ramifications for the territory. 

To talanei.com we again say, do not use Faleomavaega press releases unless you can verify their veracity and if they are legitimate remarks uttered by the Delegate, tell your readers and your Radio 93KHJ-FM listeners.

To Samoa News we say, if you did not use the Blaz press release because you could not attest to its veracity, we applaud you but then tell your readers that.  Faleomavaega’s staff will have no reason to be forthcoming with the public unless and until they are compelled by the local media to do so.

Neither Samoa News nor talanei.com may care what this blog thinks, but sooner or later they will begin to hear from legitimate off-island media such as Associated Press, Radio Australia and Radio New Zealand, all of whom employ as occasional correspondents staff members on Samoa News and talanei.com.  Once those media organizations’ credibility is compromised beyond repair,  expect RA, RNZI and AP to begin to look elsewhere for reliable news sources.  

Ackerman Exit Boosts Faleomavaega

The unexpected retirement of Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-NY) moves Faleomavaega a step closer to his dream of one day chairing the full House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Last year we wrote that, in the wake of congressional redistricting, a “perfect storm” might develop that would catapult the traveling delegate into the panel’s top slot. In order for Faleomavaega to succeed, two more senior members of the committee would need to leave Congress, Democrats would need to recapture control of the House and Nancy Pelosi would need to approve the unprecedented step of elevating into a full committee chairmanship a non-voting delegate from a small territory.

Moreover, in so doing, she would be handing the gavel to someone who has been a loose cannon over the course of his House tenure. At a time of great, sensitive, international issues, it is doubted that an outspoken House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman would be welcome by a White House controlled by either party. Many of Faleomavaega’s antics are recounted elsewhere in this blog but just to give an example, after the killing of Osama Bin Laden Faleomavaega rose up on the House floor to demand that President Obama and then-CIA Director Leon Panetta apologize to native Americans for using “Geronimo” as a code word in the operation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7tPMvDTx-w&noredirect=1. Needless to say, he was ignored. Many think he is nuts.

When the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) was riding high with lobbyist Jack Abramoff blocking Congressional efforts to curb labor abuses and raise wages in those islands, island leaders believed they had all the protection they needed. Abramoff was a well connected lobbyist with enormous influence over powerful Republicans who had say over the issues. The chief detractor in the House from his days as Chairman and later Ranking Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee—which has jurisdiction over insular issues—was Rep. George Miller (D-CA) and Abramoff for years routinely rubbed Miller’s nose in the dirt over the Marianas.

In order for the situation to turn sour for the CNMI, another “perfect storm” would need to come together. As long as Abramoff continued to ride high, the Republicans remained in power in the House and Miller was not involved in the issues at hand, all would be well. And so it looked in early 2005 after George W. Bush was returned to office and Miller left the top ranking slot on Natural Resources for the same position on the Education and Labor Committee.

But Hurricane Katrina came along and the voters took it out on Republicans in mid-term elections, sweeping the Democrats back into control of the House and making Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) the speaker. Her closest confidant in the House was none other than fellow San Francisco Democrat Miller, who became chairman of the Education and Labor Committee.

A year before the midterm, CNMI voters elected as governor Benigno Fitial, the chief defender of the Abramoff strategy and the new CNMI House installed as speaker former governor Froilan Tenorio, the man who had hired Abramoff in the first place. While that was happening, Abramoff’s lobbying empire was beginning to unravel. So, by Christmas 2006, the Republican majority was on its way out, Bush was gravely weakened by Katrina and Iraq, and Miller, with a long memory of how he was batted about by Abramoff and those behind him on Saipan, was coming into the chairmanship of the committee that had jurisdiction over minimum wage.

All the elements of the perfect storm were in place and within days of taking control of the House, Miller offered a bill (H.R. 2) to apply federal minimum wage to the CNMI. When is sailed through Congress, a weakened Bush meekly signed it. So, as unlikely as all of those pieces coming together might have seemed in early 2005, they all indeed came together just two years later and the rest is history.

Something similar would have to happen for Faleomavaega to become Committee chairman. It seemed inconceivable a year go with Republicans having swept into power with the largest majority they had enjoyed since the 1920s and the two Democrats ahead of Faleomavaega showing no sign of getting out of the way any time soon.

However, as we pointed out in our earlier blog, this is a redistricting year and all the congressional boundaries are being redrawn to account for population shifts. Both Ackerman and Berman had been through this process in the past and had weathered redistricting well thanks to friendly legislatures drawing new lines favorable to incumbents.

But the prefect storm began to build as California adopted a new redistricting system conducted by an independent, non-partisan commission rather than the Democrat-controlled legislature. Meanwhile in New York, Republicans won control of the state senate, which meant compromise would be necessary in drawing the lines, which had to account for the loss of two seats. The compromise was that one Republican seat in upstate New York and one in the New York City metropolitan area would be eliminated.

California’s new map threw Berman into a district with his colleague Brad Sherman (D) and they are in a survival struggle that will be playing out in the state primary in June. The winner is almost assured victory in November. At the same time, while New York eliminated Ackerman’s district, it created an open safe seat nearby to which he could have moved easily. It seemed certain he would do so until his surprise announcement yesterday that he would retire rather than have to face an almost entirely new set of constituents.

So, Ackerman is gone and Berman could be defeated in June. Meanwhile, Democrats have growing optimism that they can win back the House in November. If that whole perfect storm comes together, the only obstacle remaining for Faleomavaega, assuming he wins his own re-election, would be to win Pelosi’s backing to become chairman.

People in Washington’s foreign affairs interest community should be alarmed at the prospect of a Faleomavaega chairmanship. Be afraid; be very, very afraid. What they should be doing is massing campaign contributions to try to save Berman, defeat Faleomavaega, try to influence Pelosi and try to shore up the Republican majority. The cheapest way to solve the problem is to defeat Faleomavaega but at this juncture, no viable candidate has stepped forward to oppose him.

As hard as it may be to believe, particularly given his Faleomavaega’s penchant for bomb throwing, he has never really been vetted or profiled by the mainstream press, even though he did have a four-year stint as the Asia-Pacific subcommittee chairman. It is true that Foreign Affairs is not considered a major committee in the House and the Asia-Pacific panel is one of the least important on the Committee, but it still is surprising so little is known about this man and where he would take the committee if he took charge.

While making contributions to various campaigns to minimize negative outcomes, someone ought to encourage the international affairs media to do an in-depth profile of Faleomavaega in hopes of persuading a potential incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi to think twice before handing him the gavel.

For his part Faleomavaega continues on his merry way, again last week visiting Fiji. There does not appear to be a dictator, tyrant, despot, autocrat or strongman that Faleomavaega does not like. In recent years he has shown a particular fondness for the rulers of Bahrain, Kazakhstan and Fiji. Precisely what he thought he was accomplishing on this trip to Fiji is unclear but just days after his departure strongman Bainimarama announced the abolishment of the Great Council of Chiefs. Any relationship? Hard to say but Faleomavaega in the past has proposed election of members of the American Samoa Senate, which is a body composed of traditional leaders selected by county chiefs. You can draw your own conclusions.

FALEOMAVAEGA CYNICISM REACHES NEW LEVEL

When Faleomavaega introduced his “ASPIRE” bill in the last Congress, which essentially would have subsidized Star-Kist to keep its cannery—the territory’s major private employer—in the territory, it seemed that the frenetic delegate had reached a new level of cynicism, since there never was any chance the bill would pass.  Nevertheless, hope was held out by hundreds of not thousands of Samoans that their jobs could be saved in the wake of the departure of the other cannery, Chicken of the Sea.

Of course, even though his own party controlled both houses of Congress and the White House, Faleomavaega got get nothing more than a hearing on the measure.  It died in the subcommittee chaired by a fellow delegate, Guam’s Madeleine Z. Bordallo (D).  Virtually everyone but Star-Kist testified against the bill, including the Obama administration, which would have been a major embarrassment for Faleomavaega if the American Samoa media had reported the story.  But they didn’t, and once again he skated.

If he could not move a bill through a friendly House, he knew he was not going to move it once Republicans took over in 2011 so he didn’t even try.  But he also knew that he was likely going to face his toughest re-election fight this year when Governor Togiola (D) would be barred by law from seeking a third full term in office.  So, in order to either scare Togiola to the sidelines or bolster his own popularity, Faleomavaega made his next and even more cynical move: promise citizenship to nationals and national status to aliens.  Last year he announced he would introduce a bill that, if enacted, would allow U.S. nationals to become U.S. citizens without having to move to the states.  At the same time, he also said he wanted to push legislation that would allow long term resident aliens, mostly people from nearby independent Samoa, to apply for U.S. national status, a status now that is reserved exclusively to persons born in American Samoa.

Of course, aliens cannot vote but many have them who have been in the territory for more than 20 years have large families who can vote and would be more disposed to reward Faleomavaega for trying to make their parents nationals.  What makes this so cynical is that Faleomavaega knows such a bill would not have a prayer in Congress.  It would be considered, if considered, by the judiciary committee, not one of the committees on which he serves.  To underscore the point, Faleomavaega’s Northern Marianas colleague recently tried to sneak a bill through the House by unanimous consent that would have conferred citizenship on a tiny number of people in the Northern Marianas until immigration hawks caught the maneuver and had it killed at the 11^th hour.

So, now comes Faleomavaega’s most cynical move yet.  He has teamed up with other delegates on a bill to extend the Supplemental Security Income program to American Samoa.  This was one of his promises in his early campaigns and once elected he did offer such a bill.  But, like ASPIRE, it went no where, even in the go-go era of the 90s when the U.S. treasury was flush with cash and his party controlled Congress under President Clinton.  With record trillion dollar deficits and Republicans in control of the House, Faleomavaega has no more hope of passing SSI than he did 20 years ago.

However, ASPIRE, citizenship and SSI may have been enough to do the trick, as Togiola announced on his radio program last weekend that he would not run for Congress this year.  Faleomavaega and his staff undoubtedly did a high five and breathed a sigh of relief.  However, we are not convinced of Togiola’s sincerity.  He is under attack on a number of fronts these days for decisions he has made so it makes sense for him to get out of the spotlight for now.   We would not be surprised if he has a “change of heart” this summer and decides to run after all.  Keep an eye on the election office come July to see who picks up a congressional packet.

Faleomavaega: Obama's Lackey

This blogster says it all:

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/10/obamas-mop-up-m.html

Wage Delay Law Shows Faleomavaega Weakness

At literally the last minute before adjournment, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted the Senate version of a bill that originated in the House that delayed the implementation of a scheduled increase in the minimum wage for American Samoa. The hike was to have taken effect October 1. In a press release following passage, Faleomavaega thanked what seemed like half the Congress—Republicans and Democrats alike—for taking this action, which could stave off the departure of the territory’s remaining tuna cannery. However, Faleomavaega’s release was vastly overblown considering what little it actually accomplished.

Perhaps it was the delegate’s intention to distract the attention of voters so close to election time from his larger inability to accomplish much more than this delay, considering his position as a senior member of his party, which overwhelmingly controls Congress, particularly the House, which is run by Members who over the years he has touted as being among his closest allies. As is Faleomavaega, both Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller are protégés of the late U.S. Rep. Philip Burton.

Following the 2006 midterm election, after which Democrats regained control of the House, Eni was in line for and received a subcommittee chairmanship. Although he was senior enough on Natural Resources to take over the subcommittee on insular affairs, the body with primary legislative jurisdiction over American Samoa, he chose, instead, the subcommittee on Asian, Pacific and Global Environmental Affairs, which specifically is precluded from considering American Samoa issues, which are considered domestic.

Shortly after taking over the subcommittee, Faleomavaega, predictably, took a trip out of Washington, and when Miller crafted a federal minimum wage bill that was to become the first priority of the new Congress, Eni was nowhere to be found when Miller and the Speaker threw him under the bus by deciding to include American Samoa in the wage hike bill. Faleomavaega disingenuously blames Republican Rep. Mark Kirk for this action because it was Kirk who first asked why American Samoa was not included in the proposal but virtually everyone who understands how the House operates knows that the minority has no power at all and no minority member was in any position to demand anything the Speaker or Miller weren’t prepared to do anyway.

In one story about the delay, Miller was quoted as saying it was Kirk who first raised the issue of American Samoa and the Northern Marianas but this is likely fabricated because Miller intended all along to include the Northern Marianas to strike back at Jack Abramoff. Indeed, when it came to final passage, a majority of the Republicans voted against the bill, so blaming Republicans just won’t wash.

In any event, Faleomavaega, who said he supported the first year’s increase, has had four years to get American Samoa removed from the law but was unable to get Miller or Pelosi to budge, thus demonstrating that his touted "closeness" to his fellow Burton protégés was more myth that reality. If anyone needed any additional proof, when Pelosi put together her 21-member delegation to U.N. global warming talks last year, Eni was not included. Giving him jurisdiction over global environmental affairs apparently was just a way to let him travel the world beyond Asia and the Pacific.

So, he has his wage delay but that is not going to be enough to keep Star-Kist on island for very long. Permanent repeal might have helped but a delay, even for two years, does not end uncertainty for the cannery. They are looking for a subsidy that was the centerpiece of Faleomavaega’s signature legislation in this Congress: ASPIRE, which is an acronym for American Samoa Protection of Industry, Resources, and Employment Act. He had much publicized hearings at which everyone but Star-Kist representatives, even fellow Democratic Members of the House, testified against the bill. It never attracted a single co-sponsor and remains “alive” only because the House is coming back into a lame duck session after the election.

The bad news for Eni is that the elections do not look very promising for his party. On election night in 1992, when Democrats regained control of the White House while holding control of the House and Senate for the first time since Jimmy Carter, Faleomavaega proclaimed that now that his party had won it all, it was up to them to produce. Well, they did not produce and in 1994, Republicans won control of the House for the first time in 40 years and Eni was consigned to 12 years in the minority.

All signs point to Republicans regaining control of Congress next month but even if they do not, they will make significant enough gains to achieve philosophical control. In that case, it is going to be very tough for Eni to get any legislation enacted. It was perhaps sensing the reality of his soon-to-be new status that led him to proclaim in his press release how he always has worked on a bipartisan basis when the record is replete with his attacks on Republicans, such as accusing them of wanting Samoans to ride the "back of the bus" by not supporting ASPIRE>. More important than his wage delay or ASPIRE, which is going nowhere under any scenario, he also has a provision in pending legislation called the tax extenders bill, that would give Star-Kist an $18 million tax break. He also has a request in the works for $25 million through Interior funds.

If he could achieve these objectives when his party was riding high these past two years, with the seniority he did not have the last time Democrats controlled both political branches in 1993-94, a subcommittee chairmanship, and as an early supporter of Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy, it is difficult to see how he is going to be able to do much beyond continue his worldwide travels as a non-voting delegate in the minority in the next two years and perhaps beyond. Indeed, perhaps the worst of all worlds for him would be to return to an evenly divided House which Democrats continue to control. Then his party would need him to be present for committee votes where his vote could be the margin of difference. That even happened at least once in this Congress when the Speaker insisted he stay in town to vote on an energy bill, forcing him to cancel a trip home for the funeral of a high chief from his village.

Unfortunately, the voters are not aware of Eni’s weakness and ineffectiveness, and neither the local media, the local political leadership, nor his political opponents have taken the time to educate the voters. They continue to think he brings home millions of dollars in federal grants when in fact American Samoa has received nothing more than the Northern Marianas has received--and the Northern Marianas did not even have a delegate to Congress at all until last year.

FALEOMAVAEGA CHAMPION ISLANDER JUNKETEER TO ISRAEL

In the wake of the travel scandal that has forced U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel to stop down from his post as chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs has published a study of congressional trips to Israel funded by the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), which is considered an independent entity from its parent group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which self-identifies as “America’s Pro-Israel Lobby.”

The AIEF was established to get around the congressional prohibition on corporate sponsored travel that Congress imposed on itself following the Jack Abramoff scandals. Rangel was admonished by the House ethics committee last week for traveling to the Caribbean under corporate sponsorship, although he insisted he was unaware of whop bought his ticket.

The whole report can be read here: http://www.israel-palestinenews.org/2010/03/congressional-junket-front-page-news.html but we thought it would be more useful to compare the non-voting delegates and the Hawaii delegation to put the travel into some sort of perspective.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog that despite having any responsibility for U.S.-Israeli relations, Faleomavaega is by far the biggest recipient of AIEF funds for travel to Israel. Although he only took two trips on AIEF’s nickel, they were beuts, averaging over $16,000 per trip. Runner up was Hawaii Rep. Maizie Hirono, who spent $12,000 of AIEF’s money for a single visit to Israel.

Madeleine Bordallo, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, took only one trip but, at $6,600, it cost only about half of Hirono’s junket. Hawaii Senator Dan Akaka’s one trip was even cheaper at $4,600. These were the only four who took any AIEF sponsored trips at all. The other six did not travel to Israel at AIEF expense. All 10 are Democrats. Here are the figures:

Abercrombie, Neil (D-HI 1) $0.00 0
Akaka, Daniel K (D-Hawaii Senate) $4,610.00 1
Bordallo, Madeleine Z (D, GU-AL) $6,599.15 1
Christian-Christensen, Donna (D-VI AL) $0.00 0
Faleomavaega, Eni F H (D-AS AL) $32,598.15 2
Hirono, Mazie K (D-HI 2) $12,258.26 1
Norton, Eleanor Holmes (D-DC AL) $0.00 0
Inouye, Daniel K (D, HI Senate) $0.00 0
Pierluisi, Pedro (D-PR AL) $0.00 0
Sablan, Gregorio (D-MP AL) $0.00 0

Of course, you can expect Samoa News, where Faleomavaega's sister-in-law is an editor, will sweep this under the rug but it really wouldn't matter because his constituency would be proud to know their champion has once again stuck it to the man. You go, Eni!

Faleomavaega Uninfluential with Japan, Too

Faleomavaega Uninfluential with Japan, Too

Perhaps Faleomavaega spends so much of his time abroad because he gets the respect there that he has not been shown in Washington. However, it appears he has as little influence in Japan as he does in the U.S.

During the Tokyo stop of his four-nation Asian swing in January, he commented that the feelings of the Okinawa people should take priority in deciding on the future relocation of U.S. bases on the island. The move of 8,000 Marines to Guam has been stalled in part because the people, to whom the new Government of Japan has been sensitive, want other bases there, which were to be moved elsewhere on the island under the agreement with the U.S. on the Guam move, to be shut down and the personnel on those bases also moved to Guam or the Northern Marianas.

No doubt Faleomavaega was hoping to break the logjam. Well, apparently he did—but not in the way he intended. Signaling a possible end to the dispute, a Japan vice defense minister has told Bloomberg News that the Japanese government will allow a U.S. military base to stay on Okinawa. Okinawan residents will be offered "compensation" in return for accepting the Japan government's decision.

So, if the Bloomberg story is correct, the Japanese will have ignored both the people on Okinawa who want all 50,000 U.S. troops moved off the island, and Faleomavaega, who says the people’s feeling should be the determining factor. The Japanese obviously do not give any great weight to Faleomavaega’s chairmanship of the House subcommittee that has oversight of U.S.-Japan relations.

And so it goes.

Faleomavaega attacks Obama, Clinton

Maybe it was just his way of diverting media attention to his decision to join the Communists in Cambodia in celebrating the invasion by Communist Vietnam 31 years ago to restore the Cambodia Communist party to power. Or maybe it's just because he has a political death wish. We are reminded of Ann Richards's observation about George H.W. Bush at the 1988 Democratic National Convention: "Poor George, he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." Of course, "poor George" went on to win the White House and his son completed the revenge by defeating Richards's bid for reelection as governor six years later. But, no matter. Faleomavaega keeps rolling on to victory after victory, aided by Samoa News, where his sister-in-law is a top editor. The only real media outlet keeps Eni's blunders out of the paper.

This time it wasn't just an emotional outburst of the moment but an actual, carefully thought one (one assumes) press release headed a mild "Faleomavaega welcomes Secretary Clinton’s visit to Pacific, but expresses disappointment." Naturally, Samoa News carried the release and dutifully used the headline he supplied. But other media outlets around the world were not duped. The story written in New Zealand by the respected regional journalist Michael Field (and carried by many New Zealand newspapers) was headed "American Samoa congressman attacks Clinton" while a Washington, DC newspaper devoted to congress headlined "Democratic lawmaker condemns Clinton's fly-by diplomacy."

"Clinton's Pacific itinerary criticized," headlined the Honolulu Advertiser, while Radio New Zealand headlined characterized it as "Clinton visit a snub to most Pacific leaders." So, what exactly was it that Faleomavaega said that drew such wide-spread media attention from Washington to Wellington? Let his word speak for themselves directly from his press release:

Faleomavaega said he is "very disappointed that some 15 Pacific Island nations are being ignored and marginalized once again. For years, I have been outspoken about U.S. foreign policy towards the Pacific region because the only real foreign policy that the U.S. has with the Pacific is with New Zealand and Australia. . .My point is underscored by the fact that Secretary Clinton will be meeting with Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea while excluding some 15 Pacific Island leaders who could have gathered in one location to meet her. . . [C]onsidering that President Obama was born and raised in Hawaii and understands the challenges and needs of the community, I thought these small island nations, however small, would finally be given the time, consideration and respect they deserve.”

“I am truly disappointed that President Obama, whom I supported and endorsed from the beginning of his presidential campaign, did not weigh in upon learning that Secretary Clinton’s first visit to the Pacific region excluded all Pacific Island nations except Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. At a minimum, the President or the Secretary could have easily called for a summit of Foreign Ministers from the island nations to meet in Samoa, Hawaii, or even New Zealand. That this was not done shows a lack of sensitivity for the region and sends a message that some 15 Pacific Island nations are not an important or integral part of our U.S. foreign policy objectives.”

“This is the wrong message to send . . . The U.S. cannot afford to take for granted the sacrifices Pacific Island nations have made on our behalf. While New Zealand refuses entry to U.S. nuclear ships, many Pacific Island nations fought side by side with the U.S. throughout WWII. The U.S. also used the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) as a nuclear testing ground, exploding more than 67 nuclear bombs, including the first hydrogen bomb ever detonated. Although the U.S. has not fully compensated the RMI for the damage we did and the contamination we left behind, the RMI is still our ally.”

“But how long will it be before Pacific Island nations begin to reconsider their relationship with the U.S.? China, Taiwan and Iran are increasing their presence in the region while the U.S. cannot even bother to re-establish USAID presence. Given that most Pacific Island nations continue to support U.S. interests at home, abroad, and in the United Nations, it is my hope that the U.S. will return the favor and support the Pacific Island community.”

“China takes the time to meet with Heads of State from small Pacific Island nations and the U.S. should do the same because it is no longer enough to continually fly-over the region. Pacific Island nations deserve something better than fly-by diplomacy. While it is very doubtful that Secretary Clinton can adjust her schedule at this late date, at the very least she can make it a top priority to meet in the near future with the some 15 Pacific Island leaders she is excluding on her first trip to the Pacific region. Such a meeting would be a step in the right direction after more than 50 years of U.S. neglect."

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why there would be media interest. Faleomavaega, in a single piece of paper, pretty much destroyed any shred of effectiveness he might have enjoyed during the next three years by publicly attacking two of the most powerful leaders of his own party holding public office: the president and the secretary of state.

Not only that, he has issued a press release to the world acknowledging what we have been saying consistently since this blog was established: he has NO CLOUT OR INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON. He admits he was not consulted on Clinton's itinerary and obviously was not invited to accompany her, despite her trip being to the region he considers his back yard and over which his subcommittee has jurisdiction.

"For years, I have been outspoken about U.S. foreign policy towards the Pacific region," says Faleomavaega in his press release. For 21 years that he has been in Congress, to be exact. And what has gotten for his efforts? Looks like nothing. During his watch, the U.S. has closed embassies, USAID missions and USIA offices all over the region in scaling back their presence. In the early years he might have blamed it on having no influence with the George H.W. Bush administration or being too junior when Clinton was in the White House for two years when his party also controlled Congress. On election night 1992 he was quoted as saying his party had won it all and had no excuses if they didn't deliver. But despite not delivering he goes on and on in office. The next 12 years he could argue he was in the minority then two more with another Bush in the White House.

But since January 20, 2009, he has had a president of his own party who he supported early, as his press release notes, his party controls both houses of Congress, he has allies in key positions of leadership, he is very senior and he chairs the subcommittee that has jurisdiction over all the issues he has championed. One can credibly argue that he will never be more influential than he is today. Or more precisely, one should argue that he never will be more influential than he was the day before he issued this disastrous press release.

And yet, what has he gotten, even before the release? Nancy Pelosi and George Miller pulled the rug out from under him on minimum wage and have rebuffed every effort he has made to halt additional increases. Hillary Clinton did not invite him to accompany her on her visit to Indonesia last year, despite the fact that Indonesian policy towards West Papua has been one of his signature issues. Nancy Pelosi did not invite him to join her congressional delegation to China to discuss global warming despite his subcommittee having jurisdiction both over China and global environmental issues. Pelosi didn't even invite him on her massive delegation to Copenhagen for UN global warming talks.

Why? Because he is a loose cannon, as his recent visit to Cambodia once again underscores. You never know what will come out of his mouth. Certainly, he would have been available for travel. He has never seen an overseas trip he would pass up if invited. In fact in one commentary back in American Samoa there was curiosity as to where Eni would be this week. Would he still be winding up his Asia tour. Maybe head to Saipan for the governor's inauguration. Maybe head to Honolulu for Hillary Clinton's speech (unlikely after blasting her). Maybe down to Pago Pago for the ceremonial opening of the legislature. That's where he was when Pelosi surprised him by applying the minimum wage to American Samoa. But no, he actually was in Washington for the opening of the second session of Congress. Our betting it was mainly to change clothes and get out some resh tropical shirts to wear on a congressional fact finding delegation to Haiti. Want to place odds on him being among the first to go?

Unless, of course, he doesn't get invited.

Keep on moving, Eni. Don't hold your breath that your ASPIRE bill will get anywhere near Obama for signature. It probably won't get past the subcommittee. Rahm Emanuel comes from Chicago where they play real political hardball. He is not happy with your press release blasting the leader of your own party. Eni, you are toast. Stick a fork in you--you're done.

Too bad the people who vote you into office are never told.