BLOG: Beating the Rush, Crowley Fires Up 2014 Campaign

You certainly can’t call David “Kawika” Crowley a quitter.

Or even a late starter.

The former Hilo resident who last year waged an unusual campaign as the Republican candidate for the 2^nd Congressional District seat has already fired up his campaign for 2014.

Crowley last week sent out a press release saying he planned his “Official Visible Kickoff” with a 10-hour roadside-waving marathon Monday along Kamehameha Highway on Oahu’s windward side.

Last year’s campaign apparently left Crowley refreshed. His announcement described the 40,000-plus votes he drew in the general election as “stunning” and the “6^th largest vote count in entire (sic) Hawaii election.”

Never mind the fact that there were only six candidates in the statewide races, and he was easily at the bottom of that list with only 18.6% of his race’s tally.

But Crowley is clearly not one to quibble over numbers, unless you’re talking about the hundreds of thousands of “Hawai`i folk” who he believes are not being served by the state’s current congressional delegation on issues such as legalizing marijuana and restoring the Hawaiian Nation.

He also continues to rail against what he says is continued rampant federal spending.

Demonstrating that he hasn’t lost his touch for the turning of phrases that are — let’s call them colorful, Crowley described the federal government as becoming “an addictive, morbid, obese, fat-ass sow force-feeding us with her nipples the size of Mauna Kea ….”

He has particular enmity for Obamacare, which he calls a “catastrophic beast” that he incorrectly says could get those who refuse to buy health insurance thrown into prison by the Internal Revenue Service.

“What the hell is this,” he muses. “NAZI GERMANY????”

Crowley’s press release did not specifically mention his likely opponent on Nov. 4, 2014 – assuming he survives the GOP primary.

Gabbard, meanwhile, has wasted no time making a name for herself in Washington, DC.

And she’s not an easy target for dyed-in-the-wool Republicans, even offbeat versions.

Kawika Crowley is already looking for a repeat of last year’s election won handily by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Courtesy photo.

Gabbard, one of the first two female combat veterans to serve in Congress, twice voluntarily deployed to Iraq, and is already becoming known for her efforts on behalf of veterans.

Her first bill, The Helping Heroes Fly Act, was passed unanimously by Congress. The legislation makes it easier for injured and disabled veterans to clear airport security.

All this has to take some of the wind out of the Crowley campaign sails, as he previously said if elected he would donate half (later changed to a quarter) of his congressional salary to the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit organization that assists post-9/11 injured veterans.

However, he may find a chink in her armor from her receiving a John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, given out last month by Harvard in the name of one of history’s staunchest Democrats.