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Retired State Senator Mary George, a Republican who served Hawaii for more than a quarter century beginning in 1968, joins Roth shortly after leaving office. George argues that Hawaii is trapped in a shrinking cycle: as fewer Republicans win, fewer candidates run under that label, deepening one-party dominance and removing any pressure on legislators to defend their philosophy publicly. She frames the Republican-Democratic divide around Lincoln's principle that government should do only what individuals cannot do for themselves, and says Hawaii Democrats assume government knows better how to allocate citizens' money. Roth asks about Newt Gingrich and the Contract with America; George says its themes are sound but that Hawaii tends to lag the mainland by months. On Governor Cayetano, newly in office, she expresses genuine hope that he follows through on an elected Attorney General and averts a public-employee strike, though she sees little budget room for concessions. Callers press her on Republicans' perceived ties to wealth and plantation-era politics, and she pushes back, calling such characterizations a legacy perception. She closes by calling small business — more than three quarters of Hawaii jobs — the most neglected priority in state economic policy.
Transcript
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