Hawaii is having a hard time naming things after Barack Obama
Each year, President Obama and his family vacation in Hawaii, the state he was born in. But the Aloha State isn't exactly ripe with landmarks honoring the country's first Hawaiian commander-in-chief, as The Washington Post explains:
Obama's return to the place of his birth also calls to mind an embarrassing record of legislative stumbles: Since 2009, Hawaii's politicos have sought to name two schools, an abandoned lot, a scenic overlook and two state holidays after Obama. An effort to put the 1960s-era cinder-block apartment building — where he lived — on the National Historic registry also fell short.For now, the most famous thing that bears Obama's name here is the "Snowbama," a shaved ice that's a mix of lemon, lime, cherry, and passion guava flavors and sells for $4 at Island Snow, one of the president's favorite vacation haunts. [The Washington Post]
Local politicians' naming efforts ultimately fail for a variety of reasons including costs, the desire to keep traditional Hawaiian names, and the fact that Obama is still in office.
"Because he's still president, it felt a little goofy and opportunistic for people to run around trying to honor him as if his public service was already complete," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) told the Post.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.
-
Political cartoons for December 11Cartoons Thursday's political cartoons include sinking approval ratings, a nativity scene, and Mike Johnson's Christmas cards
-
It Was Just an Accident: a ‘striking’ attack on the Iranian regimeThe Week Recommends Jafar Panahi’s furious Palme d’Or-winning revenge thriller was made in secret
-
Singin’ in the Rain: fun Christmas show is ‘pure bottled sunshine’The Week Recommends Raz Shaw’s take on the classic musical is ‘gloriously cheering’
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
-
Ex-FBI agents sue Patel over protest firingspeed read The former FBI agents were fired for kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest for ‘apolitical tactical reasons’
-
Trump unveils $12B bailout for tariff-hit farmersSpeed Read The president continues to insist that his tariff policy is working
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
-
Moscow cheers Trump’s new ‘America First’ strategyspeed read The president’s national security strategy seeks ‘strategic stability’ with Russia
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Supreme Court revives Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read Texas Republicans can use the congressional map they approved in August at President Donald Trump’s behest
