The Hawaii Republican Party was gearing up this week to continue making an example out of state Rep. Joe Bertram III with a television ad and automated phone calls to voters after the South Maui Democrat stood up for a friend convicted of trying to sexually prey on children.
But then the Republican Party, for reasons its leaders declined to explain, dropped the anti-Bertram campaign, which had quickly spread into an offensive against the Democratic Party leadership a day after the TV ad first ran. This also came at a time when the Republican governor is trying to get a budget passed in the Democrat-dominated Legislature. Hawaii Republicans - who are outnumbered 68-8 in the Legislature - are demanding that Democrats censure Bertram during the busy end days of the session, which concludes May 7.
When Republican Party Chairman Willes Lee was reached by telephone Wednesday, he said party members decided to drop the campaign against Bertram. The decision came after the television ads aired for one day, saying Bertram put "the interests of sex offenders ahead of our children."
The ad can still be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv DAYH0f3FI.
Lee declined to explain why the Republicans suddenly backed off, but he said it is not because of any factual errors or a change of beliefs. In fact, Lee said as a father of two girls, he remained upset over Bertram's stance as well as the apparent indifference of his colleagues.
"I haven't seen it, and it doesn't really matter," Bertram said Wednesday about the TV spot. "They are just in their own silly world wasting money. That's all about they have is to sling things. It's a bunch of nothing about nothing."
In less than three years in the Legislature, Bertram has made a name for himself with his compassion, uncompromising idealism and sometimes unorthodox beliefs. In the past week, Bertram, who is a registered medical marijuana caregiver, has spoken out against cannabis enforcement and the effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, commonly known as DARE.
But the overriding Bertram maelstrom started April 1 when the lawmaker urged leniency in 2nd Circuit Court for a friend who was sentenced for using the Internet to arrange sexual contact with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl but really was an undercover police officer working an online sting operation.
Bertram told the court his friend, Makawao resident Mark Marcantonio, should not be sent to prison for an "imaginary crime."
Bertram would later elaborate in interviews, saying he believed Marcantonio's behavior was wrong, but he also disagreed with the long-standing practice of police posing as minors to prevent sexual attacks as well as mandatory-minimum prison sentences for nonviolent offenders. Bertram said he feels strongly against any mandatory-minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders, especially drug offenders, since they fill jails and prisons.
Marcantonio pleaded no contest to a charge of second-degree electronic enticement of a child and was sentenced to nine months in jail. Bertram was the only representative who voted against changing the law last year to make a 10-year prison term mandatory for someone convicted of first-degree electronic enticement of a child.
However, Bertram said he erroneously believed that Marcantonio would be sentenced under that new law when he spoke up in Judge Joel August's courtroom.
About three weeks ago, the Hawaii Republican Party aired a radio ad voiced by Marc Klass, whose 12-year-old daughter, Polly, was abducted and killed in 1993. Klass called Bertram perhaps the worst politician he's ever encountered.
Bertram said there is no comparing what his friend did to what happened to Polly. As a result of the radio spot, Bertram said he was inundated with nasty, foolish and sometimes threatening phone calls.
House Speaker Calvin Say has complained about a batch of automated calls paid for by the Republicans. The "robo calls" were made on April 21 "to inform them (voters) of certain reported statements on the part of Joe Bertram, in his personal capacity, made in a Maui court room," Say wrote in a letter to Lee.
The calls connected people to Say's office if they dialed "1."
"In one hour this afternoon, my staff logged in over 100 calls of this type," Say wrote in a letter to Lee.
Lee blasted the House speaker for not taking seriously the request to censure Bertram, which would be a symbolic vote of disapproval.
Lee also noted how Say used language that downplayed Bertram's comments by using word like "reported" and "personal capacity." He said he was dismayed that Say appeared only concerned about the disruption to his office.
"We had expected legislative leadership to censure Joe to make a statement for positive morals and to cause Joe to consider taking back what he said. But, obviously, this is no longer just about Joe Bertram," said Lee, who called Say arrogant.
Say did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Lee said the media campaign has now run its course.
But Bertram has said he has no doubt it will all be resurrected again - in 2010, when he's running for his third term.
* Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.
