When we set out to rock the boat, we should expect to get wet. 

History tells us that when a power structure is threatened by change they may not be able to control, they will do “whatever is necessary” to retain that power.  And in the arena of government and politics, when the potential disruption of power involves a multi-billion dollar budget and fundamental changes to public policy, “whatever is necessary” is a description that knows no bounds.

Such is the nature of any serious quest to disrupt the status quo and create systemic change at the Hawaii state legislature.

And that my friends is what we are doing.

In these final days leading up to the critical August 11th primary day, there is already evidence that the entrenched powers are pushing back. The messages of anger and implied threats of retaliation against us have evolved from a faint murmur of irritation, to now tangible expressions of acrimony.  Those pesky, inevitable and intractable things called “screen shots”, capture the words, thoughts and threats in text message, email and on Facebook.

So it behooves us to be prepared.  During these final 7 days anything can happen.  No doubt those on the other side will at a minimum begin throwing even more money on their candidates, in a last minute attempt to turn back our momentum.

Yes, that inevitable negative “hit piece” is even now in the mail heading our way. You can bet also that daily there are also attempts to “plant negative stories” in the local media. As that fails, these same stories will then leak out into social media and fake news sources, attempting to spread rumor and innuendo.

We should know that it is coming, but we should also not let it distract us from winning on August 11th. To be clear, it is too late for negative attacks to have much of an impact as over 1/2 of the vote has already been cast.

So long as we remain focused, keep our eye on the prize and push hard all the way through the tape – on August 11th we will win.