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.

Democrat Nod Goes to Faleomavaega in a Slick Maneuver

Former Governor Togiola Tulafono (D), a Clinton delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Tua'au Kereti Mata’utia (D), the Governor’s Deputy Senior Policy Adviser and other candidates for Congress who identify themselves as Democrats must have been furious when they learned that the local Democratic Party, which is chaired by a former chief of staff to Eni Faleomavaega, endorsed the ailing House member, who was an Obama delegate to the 2008 convention, for an unprecedented 14th term in Congress in November.

The notice of a July 23 party meeting was in the newspaper but it is unclear if it were billed as a meeting to nominate or endorse candidates for this year’s elections.  Moreover, without access to the party bylaws or rules, there is no way to know what requirements there are for notifying party members and potential candidates that an endorsement meeting will be held, or even if there were any such a requirement at all.

However, it was a slick maneuver in which the party chairman read a letter from Faleomavaega’s district office chairman in his capacity as the campaign committee chairman saying Faleomavaega would be seeking re-election and would like the party’s endorsement.  Had they known about it, Togiola and the others very well might have liked to have competed for that endorsement.   The party chairman then called for a vote and, according to Radio KHJ-FM, the dozen party attendees present (out of 600 people said to be members) unanimously endorsed Faleomavaega for re-election.  Again, without benefit of knowing party procedures, it is not possible to ascertain what constitutes a quorum for such an action.

What makes this move so slick is that Togiola almost surely would have reminded party members of his fealty to Clinton, who is favored to be the party’s 2016 presidential nominee and current front runner for election to succeed Obama, who cannot run again.  Clinton is reported to keep a list of past supporters and Togiola no doubt would have reminded his party mates that he is on it and Faleomavaega is not.

Faleomavaega’s emissary apologized for the delegate not appearing in person, citing the press of congressional business but skeptics continue to wonder if the delegate's continuing health problems prevented his return for the meeting; he has not set foot in American Samoa since suffering an as yet undisclosed illness last October.  His letter, however, does now make it clear who picked up the congressional campaign packet from the election office.

Interestingly, Radio KHJ ran the story of the endorsement meeting while Samoa News did not.  Anyone familiar with Faleomavaega’s looks will see from what is obviously a more recent photograph than KHJ heretofore had been using, that the delegate has lost substantial weight and looks every bit the age of the elderly man now in his eighth decade that he is.

However, Samoa News Editor-in-Chief Rhonda Annesley on August 1 published a signed editorial  that included a public note to the delegate: 

“Eni: At least give those poor six people who have declared themselves as running for your seat some relief. ARE YOU RUNNING OR NOT? And for the voters, WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU SUFFER FROM? A stroke, food poisoning… what are you in ‘re-hab’ for — drugs? Too much ava? Not enough air? WHAT?

"Here’s a thought for all you ‘public’ figures in public offices — WE, THE VOTERS, HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW HOW COMPETENT YOU ARE — MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY — TO CARRY ON YOUR DUTIES THAT WE VOTED YOU IN TO DO!“ [emphasis hers]

Samoa News has been somewhat schizophrenic in its coverage of Faleomavaega since he took ill: sometimes running his press releases as if he were going at full steam in Washington and other times gently raising the health question.  This time, however, it seems that, as the election approaches, the editor has thrown down the gauntlet. So far, there has been no response out of Faleomavaega’s office. 

It also well may be that Samoa News has decided the time has come to hold the delegate’s feet to the fire.  In the comments section of the Internet edition of the paper, under the editorial one reader pointed out that Faleomavaega actually did announce for re-election at the July 23 party meeting.  The webmaster responded “We're well aware the local dems have endorsed Eni, after all the Dem's committee woman is our copy editor (and Eni's sister-in-law). However we have not heard it from the congressman and until we do, it's not a story Samoa News chooses to publish.

In fact the webmaster is correct.  The endorsement request read by party chairman Ali’imau JR Scanlan was signed not by the congressman but by the delegate’s district office director, who also serves as his campaign committee chairman.  How cozy.  The webmaster went on to say that “[w]e assume he will run, but have had no official word. In the meantime, if the PR his office releases is of vital interest and the only source for the info we will publish it, whether he is running or not. That's the advantage of being the incumbent. If it is just propaganda BS we don't use it, whether it is an election year or not. Hey we're not stupid.”

A quick look at recent back issues shows that the paper indeed has not published a number of his press releases, particularly those relating to his foreign affairs work rather than his work for American Samoa.  In one instance, when publishing a story based on his release about a bill passing the Senate that has provisions for American Samoa, Samoa News took the unusual step of editorializing in the headline that it would not likely pass the House, thus taking the wind out of Faleomavaega’s sails.   The headline on the Faleomavaega release read “Senate Passes S. 1237, Omnibus Territories Bill with Faleomavaega's Provisions for American Samoa Included”   but the Samoa News headline read: Omnibus Territories Act passes Senate,unlikely to pass U.S. House.

His release stated “While passage by the Senate is a victory, the Omnibus Territories Act still needs to be passed by the House, and I look forward to working with my colleagues as we try to move this forward.  I will keep the people of American Samoa updated as the matter progresses, and I offer my sincere appreciation to the Senate for supporting the Territories…”   While carrying his quote, Samoa News concluded its story: “GovTrack.us, a website that tracks legislation and legislators in the U.S. government, gives the Omnibus Act a 36% chance of being enacted.”   So, maybe now that the stakes are so high with the election approaching, Samoa News plans to adopt a consistent "get tough" approach to covering him.

So far from Washington, this blog could not be published without access to all the material available on the Internet.   It appears Samoa News realizes it has access to the same resources to check the veracity of Faleomavaega's claims while KHJ now has a Washington correspondent to do the same.   That could be bad news for Faleomavaega, who has gotten away with murder in previous elections, especially if he tries to hide out in Washington until the last moments of the campaign.  He had better hope for a late adjournment of the House or be prepared to explain why he isn't on the first plane back home the moment the adjournment gavel bangs down.

It is also worth pointing out that Faleomavaega gets an extra benefit out of this party’s endorsement that in itself is a story worth Samoa News covering.  The information is all at hand on the Internet.  Under Federal law, candidates for the Congress may take no more than $2,600 from an individual and $5,000 from a political committee per election.   What few people here realize is that in lieu of primaries, nominating conventions and caucuses (such at the Democrats’ July 23 gathering) count as a separate election.  So, all those donors who already contributed the maximum amounts to him earlier this year or last year after he filed for re-election on January 31, 2013 now can again give him their maximum amount again. 

In other words, the individuals who gave him $2,600 already now can give him another $2,600.  According to Federal Election Commission records, he already has amassed over $40,000 in contributions, much of it from maximum donors.  He ought to be able to go back to these same folks and be able to double the size of his treasury overnight.  Keep an eye on the FEC website.

At the same time, those candidates who are running as independents have no intervening election, so their donors will be limited to the maximum amount once only.  Now it becomes obvious why it was so important for Faleomavaega to have the formal endorsement of his party.  Togiola and Tua'au are attorneys.  It would come as no surprise to find that they are looking through the American Samoa Democratic Party rules to see if all the endorsement procedures were followed correctly.  Much is at stake.

Obama Humiliates Faleomavaega; Tuna Interests Seem Clueless; Obamacare also a Problem; The Campaign is Well Underway

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Governor Puts Faleomavaega in His Place; Delegate Backs Down

Over the years, Faleomavaega seems to have reveled in his independence from the governor of the day and enjoyed sparring with them publicly on issues on which they disagree. But time and illness must be taking their toll on the elderly delegate, because the current governor, Lolo Moliga, slapped him down recently without a peep from Eni in response.

Last year Congress passed a bill requiring the Pentagon to study the feasibility of establishing a National Guard unit in American Samoa. In an April 4 press release, Faleomavaega made public a letter he sent to the Secretary of Defense the previous day recommending that American Samoa's guard unit be attached to the Hawaii National Guard and that retired CSM Iuniasolua T. Savusa be included as a member of the study team. The subject likely was discussed with Savusa when he paid a visit on Faleomavaega in March, one of the first official visitors the delegate received since he suffered a sudden illness—thought to be a stroke—last October in American Samoa.

The only problem is that Faleomavaega did not discuss these recommendations in advance with the Governor, who was not happy with either recommendation. In a sharp and equally public reaction, Moliga put Faleomavaega is his place, writing to the delegate to inform him he wanted American Samoa's guard unit to stand alone and reminding him that Savusa had a full-time job as a member of Moliga's cabinet and would not have time to serve on a Guard study team.

We were among those waiting for a quick Faleomavaega retort in his usual overkill with dates, times and places of consultation and were surprised by the silence. In the old days before illness slowed him physically and possibly mentally, the delegate would be johnny on the spot. Instead the response came only this week in a press release about his meeting with Brigadier General Timothy Wojtecki, Vice-Director of Force Structure, Resources and Assessment for the National Guard Bureau (NGB) to discuss the feasibility study, which is now underway.

Buried in the release, Faleomavaega completely reversed his position, saying “One issue that BG Wojtecki and I agreed on, which Governor Lolo also supports, is that due to legal issues American Samoa may not be able to have a guard unit function under the Hawaii National Guard because, unlike the Reserve, different rules govern the National Guard.”  Interesting he mentioned Lolo supporting Faleomavaega's position without admitting it actually was Lolo's position that the delegate was now adopting. He also went on to say “BG Wojtecki and I firmly believe the NGB and DOD must receive input from Command Sergeant Major Iuniasolua Savusa, who was once a candidate for CSM of the Army,” as if it ever were an issue. More likely, the general gave him a face-saving way of backing out of his “nomination” of Savusa to sit on the study team. Rather, the delegate acknowledged, “the study requires [Savusa's] input since he is the Director of Homeland Security in American Samoa.”

Making his capitulation to the governor total, Faleomavaega further went on to say “To alleviate any concern about his time commitment, I was assured in today’s meeting that the time commitment on CSM Savusa’s part would be minimal, making it possible for him to devote all of his time and attention to his job as Director of Homeland Security while also contributing his unparalleled expertise to this historic study.”

Although it proves he is alive and breathing, if anyone still had doubts, Faleomavaega does himself no favors by releasing photos like the one that accompanied the press release. Standing between the two Guard officers, Faleomavaega shows the devastating ravages of time and illness that have take a heavy toll on his appearance. He has not returned to the island since last October, has not told the public the nature of his illness and has made no mention of his future political plans. If and when he does return, people will be shocked by his appearance if he looks anything like this photo.

INDIA: Faleomavaega Rips Obama, Clinton, Kerry Policies; Gabbard Upstages Him; Hindu PAC Ignores Him

Following the victory of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the recent Indian national elections, American Samoa Delegate Eni Faleomavaega lashed out at President Obama's policies in a news release containing remarks his office had inserted into the Congressional Record on May 19 congratulating the sub-continent's new prime minister.

Suggesting that Modi had scored a "resounding victory despite the U.S. using every recourse it could to disrupt his destiny," without naming them Faleomavaega made it clear he felt Obama, Clinton and her successor John Kerry had made a mistake in not restoring a visa that first had been revoked in 2005 for his alleged role in riots in Gujarat in 2002, when he was chief minister at the time.

“Nonetheless, despite the United States getting it wrong with India,” continued the delegate,who had pleaded with Obama, Clinton and Kerry without success (and once again underscoring his lack of influence) to build a friendship with Modi, “Narendra Modi is looking ahead . . . (a)nd he is the key player for improved relations between the U.S. and India.” No kidding! 

Almost as if to stick his thumbs in the eyes of the White House and State Department, he made certain it was noted for the Record that “As a token of friendship and in commemoration of the fulfillment of his destiny . . . a flag was flown over the United States Capitol at my request in honor of him on April 7, 2014, to mark victory’s dawn.” Preliminary results indicating a BHJ victory were not announced until May 16.

Faleomavaega also made it known that “I have personally met with Shri (the Sanskrit equivalent of “Mr.”) Modi as far back as 2010 and I know him to be a sincere man who stands against corruption and for inclusive growth and development.” Yet, even as the ailing, 13-term delegate was having his statement inserted into the Congressional Record, freshman U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) was upstaging him in her own reaction to her fellow Hindu's victory.

Three days before Faleomavaega's statement, as Modi's victory was becoming evident, Gabbard, who is younger than Faleomavaega's children and has a long, bright future in politics, released her own statement, which said: “I recently spoke with Narendra Modi by phone and congratulated him and the Bharatiya Janata Party for winning a majority vote in India’s Lok Sabha [Congress]. This election was an extraordinary achievement for the 550 million Indians who voted over the course of six weeks in some 930,000 polling locations. I look forward to working with Mr. Modi and other members of the Indian government toward our mutual goals of peace, stability, and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region. A partnership between the world's two largest and greatest democracies is necessary for us to successfully address the many global challenges we face, including economic growth, bilateral trade, the environment, terrorism, and security." 
 
No smirking, no reference to success or failures of U.S. policy, just looking to the future. In the ailing Faleomavaega's absence, Gabbard has on occasion served as Ranking Member of the House Asia-Pacific Subcommittee, a position it took Faleomavaega years to achieve. Whether or not Faleomavaega also tried to telephone Modi but without success is not known. Perhaps the fragility of his health would not permit such an attempt. Although he publicly welcomed the election of the first Samoan as a voting Member of Congress, it has to be grating on him how fast Gabbard has risen in stardom within their shared Democratic Party.  She has already appeared on more national televison news programs in a year and a half than he has in 25 years.

Whatever Faleomavaega'a relationship with Modi, it is clear that on May 31 the Hindu American Political Action Committee (HAPAC)  announced its endorsements for 2014 congressional primary elections. In its statement releasing the names of candidates it is backing, HAPAC said it is supporting them “because of their strong track record of work for the Hindu American community. HAPAC looks forward to supporting others candidates for political office.”

It should come as no surprise that Gabbard topped the list followed by U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), the chairman of the full House Foreign Affairs Committee. Two California Democrats, Reps. Brad Sherman and Ami Bera, the latter the only Asian Indian currently in Congress, were next, followed by House India and Indian American Caucus Co-Chairman Joe Crowley (D-NY) and caucus member Eric Swallwell (D-CA). Rounding out the list, the PAC also announced it was financially assisting state Senate Majority Leader Ellen Corbett (D-CA), who is running against Swallwell, and two other Hindus running for Congress: Dr. Manan Trivedi (D-PA), and Swati Dandekar (D-IA).

Because Congressional Asia Pacific Caucus Chairman-emeritus Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) has been very helpful to Hindu Americans, the PAC is not contributing to either of his Hindu opponents, Ro Khanna (D) and Dr. Vanilla Singh (R), urging voters to vote their conscience. This despite the fact that Honda In 2012 signed onto a letter to the U.S Department of State asking it to continue denying a visa to Modi.

Although incumbents such as Gabbard and Royce face little or no competition for renomination or reelection, HAPAC stressed that this was funding for primaries,. It is quite possible, however, that they are stressing that this is primary funding so they can come back and make additional contributions to the same candidates for the general election. In one case where they have two favored candidates contesting a seat, they are giving money to both, in another case to neither.

Curiously missing from this initial list, of course, is Faleomavaega, even though the aging Samoan is already facing four announced challengers with several more thought to be standing in the wings. Maybe HAPAC is waiting to see if due to his lingering illness Faleomavaega decides to retire.  For now, not even a nod to his existence.

It will be interesting to see if another Indian PAC, USINPAC, makes a contribution to Faleomavaega, as it has in the past.  Included in his statement for the Congressional Record congratulating and praising Modi, Faleomavaega made it a point to insert this sentence: “I also commend Mr. Sanjay Puri, Founder and President of USINPAC, for championing the cause and work of Shri Narendra Modi early on in the U.S. Congress when India’s next Prime Minister was Chief Minister of Gujarat.”  

Whether that was a payoff for past support or a down payment on future contributions remains to be seen. His statement was silent about HAPAC. USINPAC has donated at least $22,000 to the delegate's reelection campaigns in chunks from $2,000 to $5,000 going back as far as 2002 and there is no reason to expect they will abandon him this year, regardless of what HAPAC does.

Faleomavaega's statement got major play in the Indian media but not in American Samoa. It could be the local media did not consider it newsworthy. On the other hand, perhaps Samoa News, where Faleomavaega's sister-in-law, the territory's Democratic National Committeewoman, is on the editorial staff, spiked the story to save the delegate embarrassment for not gaining HAPAC funding or even an endorsement for re-election after all the fuss he has made about Modi, a Hindu. As much attention as his statement garnered in India and in the Indian American community, the snub hardly seems an oversight. 
 
Of course, all this is public information available on the Internet and one need not be in Washington to put two and two together. But our local media seems to be incapable of gathering and analyzing facts. Meanwhile, as expected, former governor Togiola Tulafono has tossed hat into the ring, becoming the fourth announced candidate for Congress. Other than emphasizing he wanted to work to restore a good working relationship between the delegate and local leaders, saying “my feeling is, we need to refocus cooperation” between the Office of the Delegate and territorial leaders and that the Delegate “must serve the supporting role” of the leaders, in serving the territory and her people” he kept his announcement on a positive note. “refocusing cooperation is a thinly veiled code phrase for pointing out that Faleomavaega has a fierce independent streak that has put him at odds with a succession of governors, including or perhaps especially Togiola. The two men do not like each other but Togiola did not take the bait offered by Samoa News to question Faleomavaega's health.

Will Faleomavaega Join the Old Bulls Leaving Congress?

Everyone knows that Faleomavaega is a sick man. He has said so himself. Just before the 2012 election Radio New Zealand International reported that he freely admitted that he “has had a double by-pass heart surgery, had his appendix taken out, underwent a knee operation, both his eyes are lasered with artificial lenses and he had high blood pressure, gout and Type 2 Diabetes. He adds it's likely he has been exposed to the deadly chemical dioxin found in Agent Orange while he served in Vietnam."

But, while admitting that he has new health problems from which he is still recovering, he has not yet been as forthcoming about them as he was about his earlier ailments nor has he announced whether he will seek re-election this fall.

Nonetheless, we have clues to the answers to both questions. His office in the few statements made has referred to his “rehabilitation,” a word normally used in connection with a stroke. Indeed, there is widespread belief he suffered two strokes last October. Although he has resumed “limited” office hours, he has skipped countless hearings and caucus meetings since he return. While he has made three appearances on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives where he has spoken without sign of impairment, there is anecdotal evidence that he may be suffering residual brain damage even if his motor skills have fully recovered.

On the question of re-election, the Federal Election Committee reports that his campaign committee is functioning and he has raised $40,000 towards re-election just since taking ill. There is no law, just tradition, that requires him to make any formal announcement. However, he has simply filed the required paperwork before without any formal announcement or campaign kickoff event without any impact on his votes and could do so again. So we will have to keep a close eye on our election office to see if and when he or someone on his behalf picks up a packet containing the petitions that must be circulated and filed before he formally becomes a candidate. The filing period opens July 14 and closes September 2. 

Not only has he missed many normal functions of participating in Congress, there is no evidence Faleomavaega has traveled since becoming ill, other than evacuation from Tutuila to Honolulu, where he was hospitalized at Tripler Hospital, then quietly moved to the Mainland for additional treatment in the west (some say at his residence in Utah; others say at a VA rehab facility in California; perhaps both). Then he returned to Washington in late winter and has remained there ever since. It is also said that his wife, who for many years has lived apart from him first in Nevada and now Utah, has returned to Washington to care for him.

If, indeed, he suffered one or more strokes, it would account for why there is no evidence he has traveled at all by air since returning to Washington. He may be under doctor's orders. We do know that he did not return for Flag Day or Memorial Day, two occasions that no politician ordinarily would dare miss in an Election year. So everyone is waiting to see when he will make his re-appearance. Will he pick up and/or file his own papers? Will he have a campaign kickoff event? Will he participate in candidate debates? Will he run a Curley/Spellman/Johnson type of campaign (James Michael Curley won election in Boston while in prison; Gladys Spellman won in Maryland while in a coma; Tim Johnson won a SD senate seat while hehabing from a stroke)?  Or will he wait as long as possible to assess his health then quietly retire if he, his family, friends, allies and/or doctors decide he no longer is up to the job?

Frankly, one has to wonder why he would want to continue. He is in the Minority and no one believes the Democrats have any chance of resuming control of the House this fall. The earliest date most analysts believe the Democrats can come back is in 2022 after redistricting when Faleomavaega would be pushing 80.  In fact, if anything all indications are that Republicans will gain additional House seats and perhaps enough Senate seats to gain control of the Senate in November. Even in the Majority he, as a non-voting delegate, would have very little opportunity to accomplish very much. Moreover, continuing health problems may force him to curtail if not curtail if not eliminate his extensive foreign travel. Over the past quarter century, it would come as no surprise to find that he has traveled more miles than any other Member of Congress even without counting the miles traveling back and forth from American Samoa.

Unlike the other delegates, he has no legislative record of which to speak and little prospect of building one. His signature bill, the so-called ASPIRE Act, introduced when his party controlled the House, never got reported out of subcommittee and even members of his own party spoke against it in a hearing. Despite his seniority, he was denied the Ranking Member position on the full Foreign Affairs Committee, authority over global environment was stripped from the subcommittee, he has been stripped of his vote in the House Committee of the Whole and the Clerk no longer reports his seniority or that of the other delegates—all Democrats—in the House seniority list. It is shown separately at the end of the list. He also was passed over in favor of a freshmen legislator for the chairmanship of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus despite having served loyally for a number of years as vice chairman to Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA). Adding insult to injury, his place as vice chairman went to another delegate, Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo of Guam.

Despite being on Tutuila at a time then-Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was in Samoa meeting with the region's foreign ministers, he did not travel over there, even though he was chairman of the Asia Pacific subcommittee at the time, because Rice declined to give him an opportunity to address the gathering. And when then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came through Pago Pago a couple of years ago, she ignored his plea on Cambodian debt relief while granting the then-Governor (who will seek to replace him this fall) was granted his request to allow American Samoa to have official observer status at the Pacific Islands Forum in a major reversal of U.S. policy.

His extensive travels over the years frequently have taken him to Bangkok, home of the parent company of Chicken of the Sea brand tuna and Seoul, home of StarKist's parent company. Although he touted those visits as opportunities to meet with American Samoa;s major private sector employers, Chicken of the Sea closed its plant and StarKist's long-term future remains in as much doubt as Faleomavaega's ability to get legislation to protect the company's tax advantages and wage structure. One trip he missed was a U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen even though the global environment was under his subcommittee's jurisdiction at the time. Even though he was chairman, then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)--whose political action committee once gave him $10,000 towards re-election (she wanted his caucus vote for Leader)—did not include him in her 21-Member delegation. 

He once got Pelosi to show up at a summit of Pacific Leaders in Washington only to have that triumph go sour when the then-Speaker showed up over a half hour late, annoying the heads of government and others alike, all trapped in an auditorium for the occasion,  They all were there for an evening of food and entertainment--to which Pelosi's appearance was a hastily arranged add-on.

More recently, his continued lack of influence was underscored by President Obama's decision to pick Esther Kia'aina over his choice, Nikolao Pula, as assistant secretary of Interior for insular affairs and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned less than two days after Faleomavaega took to the House Floor to urge him to stay. Indeed, although Faleomavaeva was one of Obama's earliest supporters in his first run for president, there is no evidence Obama ever has returned the favor. Oh yes, Faleomavaega has lots of pictures with the president, but so does every Member of Congress—Republican and Democrat alike. It comes with the job.  One has to wonder if he realizes he is telegraphing his irrelevance by frequently punctuating his remarks with "I've been saying for years . . . " (even if he does not conclude with "but no one listens to me").

He has gone as far as his seniority will take him. Acquiring more now will not advance him further, get him a better office or increase his pension, which topped out at 20 years of service 2009. So why does he go on? We can only surmise that the limelight must continue to outweigh the humiliations, particularly since neither the local media nor his political opponents make any concerted effort to address his record or prospects for future success in Congress. Seemingly, as long as he can continue to flash his pe'a, strum his ukulele, carry a tune and dance, and have enough money to buy a boatload of radio and newspaper advertisements that cleverly list all the federal money that comes to the territory while only implying but being careful specifically not to claim it is due to him, as well feed the voters, there will be enough voters to get him re-elected.

One of the values of seniority is building friendships and alliances to help a Member reach his legislative goals. Much of Faleomavaega's investment in that relationship building process has been lost in the past three years with the retirement of Sen. Dan Akaka (D-HI), the death of Sen. Dan Inouye (D-HI) and the defeat of then-Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA), whose re-nomination Faleomavaega unsuccessfully backed in 2012. The wave of Old Bulls going out has continued unabated this year with the announced retirements of Reps. John Dingell (D-MI), George Miller (D-CA) and Henry Waxman (D-CA), all Faleomavaega allies with whom he serves for many years a fellow member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

The signs are present that other senior Members also may be on their way out. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) has a tough primary challenge this month and Rep. Nick Joe Rahall (D-WV), a Faleomavaega ally who was Ranking Democrat on House Natural Resources, is thought to be in danger of losing his seat in November. All of the aforementioned Members are ex-Members who have or had seniority substantially exceeding Faleomavaega's 13 terms.

Dingell, the longest serving person in the history of the House, will be joined in retirement by Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), at 91 the oldest person ever to have served in the House. Hall, also the last World War II veteran in Congress, was defeated for renomination last week and the man who beat him said a long career of distinguished service does not entitle a person to a lifetime seat in the House. Watch this video interview for his comments.

Once again, do not expect our local media to present this kind of analysis to the voters for their consideration. However, even if others are hesitant to address the ailing delegate's shortcomings, former governor Togiola is not likely to be so shy. Faleomavaega realizes this so perhaps it will given him impetus he needs to pull the plug and go the way of the Old Bulls before the voters finally show him the door.