Akaka bill cloture vote next week?

Well, things could get really interesting with the Akaka bill in the senate next week.

The Advertiser covers the latest, including the possibility of Inouye/Akaka filing a cloture motion on Monday, or a reaching a consensus agreement to bring the bill up after the August recess.

Inouye has said he would try to force a vote next week on the recognition bill if as many as six Republican holds are not lifted. A cloture motion requires the support of 60 senators and, as Inouye said, could "put a monkey wrench in the whole operation" by interrupting other work.

Akaka, who is known for his aloha rather than his aggression, has contemplated going after other senators' bills if the recognition bill does not come up soon.

The article quotes Sen. Kyl, who is the bill's most vocal opponent, but who is apparently working to keep his promise and bring the bill to a vote.

Kyl said that while a debate or vote on the bill next week is unlikely, it would be "very possible" to reach a consent agreement and set the terms for a debate after the Senate returns from recess in September.

Inouye and Akaka had wanted a vote before the August recess both because Republicans had made a promise and because of the Senate's calendar. After senators return in September, they may only be in session for several more weeks, when work on spending bills and the possible confirmation of a new Supreme Court justice may consume most of their time.

Late action on the bill would also make it more difficult for it to move this year in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case, both Hawai'i Democrats, are awaiting the outcome in the Senate.

And Kekuni gets the last word for an independent position:

Some Native Hawaiians who oppose the bill said what has happened here over the past few days should be another warning to Hawaiians against seeking relief from the U.S. government.

"Our position is we can't trust the whole colonial establishment because it dominates and exploits and subjugates us," said Kekuni Blaisdell, a sovereignty activist. "Self-determination means we decide. With the Akaka bill, the government has already decided for us."

(BTW, I know what he means in a broad sense, but I often don't agree, from a legal standpoint, with the terminology that Kekuni uses. I believe that "colonial" is not a proper term for Hawaii's situation; Hawaii was never a colony, and the decolonization process is not the proper venue to resolve the situation. I also don't think "self-determination" necessarily applies either. I won't get into a longer discussion about that now, but just wanted to point that out.)

The Star-Bulletin story quotes Akaka as saying the blocks on the bill "appears to be an organized effort." It discusses the maneuvers that could lead to cloture, and provides a brief outline of the cloture process.

Here's some more background and detail on the process of cloture at Wikipedia.

In their editorial, the Star-Bulletin calls on Kyl to help bring the bill to a vote, and sort of scolds him for promising not to block the bill from a vote, but then instigating the other blocks. "The obstruction movement followed the June 22 distribution of a lengthy and inflammatory treatise in opposition to the bill by the Senate's Republican Policy Committee, chaired by Kyl. Kyl distributed a harsh response on Tuesday to a written defense of the bill by Gov. Lingle and Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett. Neither of the bashings distributed by Kyl suggested that the bill should reach the floor."

In his weekly podcast at VoteHawaii.com (also at HonoluluTownPodcast.com), Peter Kay discusses the possibility that the Akaka bill may be getting a lot more attention and going very public nationally next week, which he believes is a good thing to shed some light on the bill and increase awareness and debate. I agree. He also discusses the notion of Lingle running for senate (and the great dissatisfaction of Lingle supporters with her performance so far, which may make even getting reelected as governor a challenge). And finally, he reflects on Bruce Fein's statements about the U.S. role in the "overthrow", and my response to him.

In other blog activity te au maohi blog from Tahiti features related headlines, and Yonder Lies It blog picks up on the Hawaii Reporter comparisons between the Akaka bill and the Atzlan movement.

From the right Ron Hebron posts on "action this week in the Congress to establish a race-based government in Hawaii" and notes and asks: "Republican Governor Linda Lingle is working hard for it. But why? On principle? Or does she have higher ambitions?"

While the progressive Free Dartmouth blog today discusses the Akaka bill and also SCOTUS nominee Roberts' role in Rice v. Cayetano, and asks:

If the bill does come up for a vote, I wonder if Republicans are going to argue that the bill is racist? How extreme rhetoric can Senators use while extolling the virtues of Roberts? If it really IS apartheid, as some right-wingers claim, then would we want to nominate someone who argued the Native Hawaiians' side? even as an advocate?

UPDATE (2 pm): KGMB9 reports that "White House lawyers, the state attorney general and legal representatives from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs are going over the legal language of the bill."

TW has posted a diary at RedState.org, a major conservative community blog, reproducing a Wall Street Journal editorial against the bill, which says, ironically, "according to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, a state agency, under the terms of the bill this new tribe could declare 'complete legal and territorial independence from the United States and the re-establishment of a Hawaiian nation-state.'" The editorial again repeats the erroneous claim that a recent poll showed 67% opposed to the bill. And comments in the diary lament the evils of PC, predict that the breakup of America will be the result, and also discuss the fate of the bill in the House.

At TownHall.com, Tim Chapman has a column saying "conservatives are quietly urging Administration officials to enlist Attorney General Gonzales’s help in defeating the legislation."

Jennifer Roulon has a letter in the Hawaii Reporter disputing their reports that Lingle is supporting the Akaka bill to bolster her chances for a run at the Senate.

And the Maui News has an editorial today in support of the bill, and their online poll question is:

The Akaka Bill granting Native Hawaiians federal recognition has been held up in Congress by a group of Republican senators. What do you think Congress should do?
Pass the Akaka Bill.

Reject the Akaka Bill.

Revise and pass the Akaka Bill.

Don't know.

Currently, 82% say reject.

Posted: Fri - July 22, 2005 at 09:33 AM

getBlogName(); > getCategoryName("C608676235"); >

Akaka bill cloture vote next week?

> >