Forget Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota, and California. Hawaii is the most liberal state in the U.S. This falls under the category of "what Hawaii can teach the world."
Currently, Governor Abercrombie called for a special session of the Legislature just to approve gay marriage. The left here is still scarred that it was not the first state to legalize it, and now they seek to make amends, and play catch-up ball.
Hawaii is throwing down the proverbial liberal gauntlet. We humbly invite the rest of the country to turn off the Fox News Network -- just briefly, and to look West and see that the most liberal of liberal states has, in fact, not imploded transforming into a cosmic black hole vortex threatening to transport the rest of the U.S. though time and space into some sort of liberal dark age that lasts for millenniums.
Elizabeth Warren's cool, Bernie Sanders is awesome, and Franken and Klobuchar make quite the liberal dynamic duo. California is, well, California. Berkeley is more of a people's republic, and is more like a liberal version of the Vatican, so they don't count. Apples and oranges.
However, the number of elected Republicans here in our Legislature is only 8. Only one is in the state Senate. They call him, "The Lone Ranger." The Republicans here aren't your normal mainland Republicans either. Among them have been grassroots environmentalists, pro-gay rights, pro-animal, and good government politicians.
Heck, the Green Party had two candidates running for seats in the Legislature against seriously strong candidates, and they each garnered 30 percent of the vote in their respective elections. Lest we forget, the Dennis Kucinich presidential campaign got the most convention delegates from the great state of Hawaii in 2004.
Our Governor, Neil Abercrombie, is an aging hippy. For the record, that's a compliment here. Our state Supreme Court Chief Justice is a former wildlife attorney and he was a Republican appointed by a Republican. Tellingly, all but one Justice is more liberal than he is.
That, and our Congressional delegation is way liberal, and they have the high scores from liberal special interest groups, and donations from liberal PACs, to prove it.
Last but not least, Hawaii did give the country its current president and liberal version of the conservatives' Ronald Reagan -- #44 himself, Barack Obama.
Why is Hawaii a liberal bastion? Simple.
1) Politically savvy and well-organized left groups and unions... along with no organized right. Although the New Hope Church is still working on marching religious conservatives to the polls, outpacing all the fast food places combined in franchising efforts. However, AFSCME, UPW, Teamsters, hotel workers, longshoremen, carpenters, teachers, and university professionals all show up and put up for the Hawaii Dems. GLBTQ, animal, environment, health, and other left-leaning lobbies are also potent, especially in these fertile grounds.
2) This place is so diverse racially and culturally it's as if the UN was a whole state instead of a building in NY, except everyone in Hawaii gets along a lot better than the UN delegates do.
The party that turned "Self Deportation" from a liberal comedy skit into a policy platform and presidential primary litmus test has limited brand favorability ratings here. So much so that Republicans often hide their party affiliation to get elected. That last "Republican Wave" that swept the country never made it to Hawai`i's shores.
Ergo, in Hawaii liberals can be out and proud. So you liberals on the mainland need to look yourselves in the mirror and repeat after Senator Al Franken, "I am good enough. I am smart enough. And gosh darn it, people like me." Go ahead, you know you want to say it, "I am L.. L... LIBERAL!" There, now doesn't that feel much better! Aloha!