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Cherry Lei: So this is the
last week of voting for the City and County's Neighborhood Board elections and
Danny you're up for your re-election! You seem to have a pretty diverse
background. How did you get into politics to begin with and what got you
interested in running for office?
Danny de Gracia: Thanks
Cherry for interviewing me! Well it's been a really long journey. One of my
earliest political memories goes all the way back to when I was a little boy
and President Reagan flew in to Hawaii. I was probably only about two years old
at the time and my parents and I waited in the hot sun at then-Hickam Air Force
Base for Reagan to land. It was something I never forgot and in all honesty it
sparked a desire in me to one day run for President myself. So from that day
forward as a kid I started telling every adult that ever asked me "What do
you want to be when you grow up?" that I wanted to be the President of the
United States!
But even before me, my grandfather Pablito was one of the very first Filipino immigrants to come to
Hawaii and he was an electrician and the owner of a boxing club who dreamed one
day of being a political figure. He used to go to court hearings and sit down
just to listen to the law being debated and he wanted to be a part of the
process someday. He died in his early forties of a heart attack from working so
hard, which orphaned my father and left his dreams incomplete. I guess you
could say that in my genes are the legacy of Pablito’s struggle.
From a young age I guess you could
say that God has been preparing me for political service and leadership. When I
was a young boy for whatever reason my parents insisted that I compete in
speech and poetry contests, so I spent much of my early childhood having to
memorize historic speeches or recite poems or Bible verses at these events and
amazingly I turned out pretty good at it, from day one I seemed to have a
natural talent for public speaking.
My parents were great role
models for me as well to learn about politics. My dad was a colonel in the Air
Force so I was routinely around generals, admirals and civilian leaders growing
up. During Operation: Desert Storm my dad was also a group commander at a wartime operations base in Guam and as strange as it may seem, since my parents
didn’t trust babysitters, I spent many many many hours sitting in the back of
my dad’s office after school had been let out listening to him plan things with
his command staff.
There’s a famous B-52 nicknamed “In HARM’s Way” that flew during the Gulf War and got hit by a Coalition AGM-88 HARM missile by mistake. The B-52 diverted to Guam and landed there and I
remember my dad bringing me into the hangar during the war to see this giant
plane with a hole in it from a missile strike and talking with other officers
about what happened. That’s the kind of things I grew up with. It’s the weirdest
thing ever growing up and being in the background of major events as an
observer. I can’t really think of any way to describe that.
Years later when I got accepted
into college, I majored in political science and focused heavily on
international relations, diplomacy, military policy, psychology, history and
public administration because I knew in the future I was going to be preparing
for public service and policymaking. After I graduated, it only took me a year to
get my master’s degree in political science and I moved back here to Hawaii.
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| The Hawaii State Capitol. |
Cherry: So what’s it like for
you being in politics? A lot of people hear about it on the news or watch it in
movies, but what’s it really like being in it?
Danny: In America, politics has several sub-fields to it, one is
academic, another is partisan-electoral, another is bureaucratic. The people in
the academic and bureaucratic wings focus on researching why the world works a
certain way and develop and implement models and systems to address the
problems and demands of the day. The partisan-electoral side is the one that gets most of the attention and is a lot of antics, theater, posturing, half-truths, cover-ups and all that stuff that turns the average person off or confuses people into staying home come election time. It’s also those things
that also make life at times very stressful, dangerous and complicated for the
other two fields of politics.
I’ve been in all three fields at one point or another and I gotta say it’s something that takes a lot of grace to get through. But
the most rewarding part of all this is the knowledge that if you stand for
principle and serve with all your heart you get to help people and change lives
for the better. That’s reward enough for me to keep me in the game.
Cherry: If you could change
anything right now, what would it be?
Danny: Well first and foremost I’d like to see America’s dollar strong again, which means for you and me and average people the power to live
with less expenses and even lower taxes. There’s a link between weak currency and taxation, many people aren’t aware of that. The weaker the currency, the
more the government has to take from people to offset inflation. People need
jobs and they need the space to save. If you fix the dollar, you fix almost
everything.
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| "We can't afford a future where the water is poisoned" |
Last of all, we have to do
something about the environment. We can’t afford a future where the water is poisoned or loaded with radioactive leakage, or where the reefs are obliterated
and the land doesn’t yield crops anymore. We’re going to have to look very
closely at environmental policy and make changes that will preserve our planet
for our children. One of my heroes is State Representative Jessica Wooley
because she has taken a very committed stand for Hawaii’s environment. I think
we have to be good stewards of the planet.
Cherry: So during an
election, when votes are being counted or you’re waiting for the official
returns to publish what does that feel like?
Danny: Oh gosh, the best way to describe how that feels is like
being in college again and sitting in the computer lab waiting for grades to
post to a class that you have no clue how you did on the final. You’re thinking
to yourself, “Am I going to have to do this all over again?” You like to think
positive and you do everything you can right up to the minute the last vote is
cast but in the end in all elections the power to win rests with God’s choice.
Cherry: You mentioned role
models, who would you say are some of the people who you look up to or helped
shape your political opinion and view of the world?
Danny: Here in Hawaii we have some very great examples. Representative
Wooley is one. Growing up I also admired the character and life story of people
like Admiral Chester Nimitz, Admiral Ray Spruance, Master Chief Petty Officer
Carl Brashear, Astronaut Gordon Cooper or Air Force Brigadier General Chuck
Yeager who I had the chance to finally meet and talk with in 2011. I also admire
General Hugh Shelton, former CJCS under Clinton. He’s a great man. These are
all people who had to overcome some heavy obstacles and eat a lot of humble pie
to accomplish great things. But above all else as a born again Christian, my
greatest example for all things and all honor is Jesus.
Cherry: There’s a big
argument going back and forth over which news channel people watch, Fox News,
MSNBC, CNN ... since you’re also a national media personality, what do you watch
for news?
Danny: Honestly I don’t watch any of them, except of course when my
friends are being interviewed on one of them. And even then I can only bear to
watch it for a few seconds because the questions most of the major network news
personalities ask are so ridiculous or petty. What I do like watching is the
PBS show FRONTLINE. That’s the best thing ever, followed by 60 Minutes. Both
shows are all about embarrassing corrupt or grossly incompetent politicians
that got glossed over by normal reporting. The format is really fun to watch
too.
Cherry: So what kind of
movies do politicians watch?
Danny: There’s a great movie anyone considering politics should
watch called The Candidate starring
Robert Redford. It pretty much sums up exactly what happens during a campaign
and especially after. I personally generally try to avoid movies about politics
simply because it reminds me too much about what goes on behind the scenes on a
daily basis. I do like watching movies though, especially comedies, the more
ridiculous and hilariously detached from reality they are, the better! In fact I actively
look for low budget, independent films on weekends that I can watch because
those usually have the best comedy value.
Cherry: What would you say is
your favorite kind of music?
Danny: Great question! I love music, so much to the point that when
I had a BlackBerry I programmed a “theme song” for every single person on my
contact list. My new phone is so much harder to program and personalize now so
I can’t do that but in regards to your question I’d have to say my all-time
favorite kind of music is R&B. There’s so much creativity in that music and
the artists have some of the most memorable and enjoyable lyrics. The music
videos for R&B tend to be really fun too, especially the old school R&B.
Cherry: Politicians have to
dress their best, when you get suited up what do you like to wear?
Danny: Salvatore Ferragamo makes great threads, in fact you could
put together an entire outfit out of their products, not to mention I love
their shoes. For a great tie you gotta look at Brioni, but I also like some of
Burberry’s ties. One of my friends a few years ago gave me a special red
striped Burberry tie for my political career and if I ever get elected to
higher office I’ll probably use that in my official photo as a nod and a thank
you. I’d say about 90% of the rest of my work ties are from Tommy Hilfiger,
simply because they have a very conventional American look. In terms of
accessories, I love Tiffany products. I usually give most of my business gifts
from Tiffany but when I’m buying for myself for accessories that’s the designer
I love.
Here in Hawaii though most of
the time it’s alohawear for local situations, so I like to use Tori Richard products around the islands. Tori Richard shirts are really colorful and their
pants especially are made of great material. I think some people call that “resort
attire” but it makes great work attire too.
Cherry: What’s dating like
for people in politics?
Danny: Everyone is different, but it’s pretty much the same as
normal life. The only difference is political people go to a heavier frequency
of state functions, diplomatic events, cocktail parties and fundraisers than a
normal couple would. In terms of relationships the rules are still the same,
contrary to what the media and Hollywood portray things. It’s still about
connecting with people who you trust and who appreciate and like you for who
you are and being mutually rewarding.
Ideally though the best thing
for political people to do is to date people who are not political. Reason being if people think high school was bad,
just imagine what it’s like when special interests, government positions
of authority or partisanship are in
play. When you date someone that’s politically known all the political people
talk about you and it can be a vector for trouble if people mess up. The really
smart people let everyone think they’re single when they’re actually dating
someone to keep their private lives covered.
I look at relationships a
little bit differently, having grown up watching the example of the way my
parents as senior government and military personalities treated each other. No
one wants to admit this publicly but a significant other is very “political”
when you’re in politics. So it’s important to be with someone who is loyal, whose
personality types enhance your own and someone who in your absence can speak on
your behalf and represent you – and vice versa. People in politics need someone
who can stand by them no matter what mud gets hurled at them or no matter what
office they run for.
And believe me, politics
requires strong personal relationships! The media and other people can concoct
all kinds of wild stories and false accusations and so it’s important to have
people who understand that and understand you. The most attractive thing on earth
to me is a politically savvy, protocol sharpened, culturally adept person.
Cherry: So do you see
yourself eventually running for higher office like Congress or above?
Danny: Well right now I’m primarily focused on two things, one
being faithful at a local level to do the right thing and represent the community,
and two, finishing my doctoral program. I’m in a very small office right now
but small, humble things are a big opportunity to serve – and being a Christian
I also recognize all too well that God chose a carpenter’s son to reveal
Himself to the world. If it’s God’s will for me, I will be promoted.
Cherry: Last but not least,
do you think you’ll win re-election in a few days?
Danny: I certainly hope so! A lot of people have already told me
that they voted for me and we did our best to get the message out, so at this
point all we can do is just have faith, speak positive words and trust God to
do the rest. I really appreciate the support and aloha from everyone who has
helped out, and I thank you for the opportunity to be interviewed!
