Each week Editorial and Opinion Editor Jeanne Mariani-Belding hosts The Hot Seat, our opinion-page blog that brings in elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was newly elected chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawai'i, Brian Schatz.

Here is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session. To see the full conversation, go to The Hot Seat blog at www.honoluluadvertiser.com/opinion and click on "The Hot Seat." (Names of questioners are screen names given during our online chat.)

Kurt: How do you plan to keep younger voters interested in the party? It seems that there's no room for new views among the Democrats. Can you show me proof to the contrary?

Brian Schatz: I think it's critical that we reach out to the new and young voters who have joined the party since Feb. 19. Part of our job is to give them meaningful ways to participate in electoral politics and to impact their government — that's what parties ought to do.

Your second question is an important one. I disagree that there's no room for contrary views among Dems. Take a look at our convention — the formation of our platform was done in the open, deliberated and discussed, worked on for weeks, and every one of the 1,000 delegates to the convention was able to participate. In contrast, the Hawai'i GOP Convention adopted their 2006 platform without any debate or discussion. We are a party that actually enjoys debate, discussion and disagreement because that's how democracy ought to work.

Becky: Just to be clear, the youth are excited about (Barack) Obama because he speaks of change. But locally I see no move toward change. What will you do, what will you promise, to make changes in the Hawai'i Democratic Party?

Schatz: The membership of the party is now around 54,000, up from around 24,000 earlier this year. We've got to engage these new members by giving them ways to participate in elections, party politics, public policy and fundraising.

But we've got to acknowledge and remember that the people who have been doing the heavy lifting for decades have the wisdom, long-term commitment and skills that we need to run an effective party. Combining the talents and enthusiasm of these two groups, we're going to do very well, and the changes that we make will be looking toward the future, but grounded in the values that make Hawai'i special.

Valley Girl: With Democrats speaking about change, why do they not endorse supporting a ConCon choice for the people to decide?

Schatz: The Democratic Party didn't take a position on the ConCon, but from my view, the question of a Constitutional Convention is about whether or not the changes that need to be made in our society are constitutional in nature. Many are not persuaded that our society's challenges would be fixed by changing our constitution.

Put it another way — a lot of progressives are quite happy with the constitutional right to a clean environment, to privacy, and for working people to organize. What is it exactly in the constitution that ought to be changed?

I believe that people who are expressing concerns about a ConCon are reading the constitution and simply deciding that it's not necessary or advisable to amend the constitution to make the change that they believe in.

Lisa: With the news that Obama has clinched the nomination, do you think it would be in the party's best interest to have Hillary Clinton run as VP with him?

Schatz: I think that is a discussion that both presidential candidates ought to have, without staff or advisers, in private.

As party chairman, my job is to wait for the dust to settle, and support the ticket, whoever is on it.

JSM: What are the top three things you plan to do as the newly elected chairman of Hawai'i's Democratic Party? Many people were critical of the party's organization following, and leading up to, the February caucus, etc. Do you have some key ideas you want to implement right away?

Schatz: The first thing is that we need to raise money to fund our grassroots operations, to be able to organize in every one of 51 state House districts, and to build enough infrastructure to take on John McCain. We've been successful initially on the Internet, but we have a long way to go.

Second, we are going to have to unite the two presidential campaigns, which will take some doing. People fought very hard for their candidate, and it's critical that we honor that enthusiasm, and not have one group push the other aside.

Third, on your question of how the caucuses were conducted, we have a lot of work to do. First, logistically, the party was overwhelmed, and we need to be prepared for the possibility of tremendous turnout four years from now, with sufficient resources, staffing, materials and training to make the process run smoothly. We also ought to look at the extent to which our process inadvertently excluded some people who might not have been able to walk several blocks to their voting location, or if they worked at night, or had other obligations. Our goal should not only be to run it more efficiently next time, but also to ensure maximum participation from people from all walks of life.

Jason: What should be the plan in general for Hawai'i Democrats to make sure they ride the wave and win at the polls? And second, what are you doing to attract more voters and lift the terrible turnout?

Schatz: The presidential election is going to drive turnout sky-high. We saw that on Feb. 19, and the enthusiasm for a Democratic president will continue through November.

On your second question, we will be trying to register as many new voters as possible, and this year it is easier than ever before to recruit new voters and new Democrats, because most people are ready to turn the page on eight years of President Bush.

Andy: Why should voters choose Barack Obama over John McCain this fall?

Schatz: There was a time when John McCain could legitimately claim that he was not a party-line Republican. But in order to get the nomination, John McCain has agreed with George Bush on every major important issue. On the war in Iraq, a potential war with Iran, his approach to diplomacy, his economic policies, and his view about women's rights and judges, his policies are the same as President Bush.

People do not want more of the same, and in terms of policy, that is unfortunately what John McCain appears to be offering.

Barack Obama wants a different vision — an economy that works for middle-class and working families, a real universal healthcare plan, a sensible approach to global warming, and an end to the Iraq War.

Steve: Why hasn't the Democratic-dominated Legislature done anything to fix our public education system, which has ranked near the bottom in state rankings for decades?

That would be "change" that is sorely needed in Hawai'i.

Schatz: The Legislature passed one very solid measure on public education that you might be interested in.

The research is conclusive: Children who attend preschool or other early education do better in kindergarten and beyond. They get higher test scores all the way through high school, have lower truancy and dropout rates, and are better adjusted socially. The bill on the governor's desk sets up an Early Learning Council, which is the first step toward universal preschool. Rep. Roy Takumi and Sen. Norman Sakamoto did the work on this bill, and they should be commended for not getting caught up in rhetoric about public education, but rather listening to experts about what works.

Many proposals in public education sound interesting or viable, but they're just not supported by research. What Sakamoto and Takumi have done has been proven to work elsewhere.

Steve: Brian, preschool is a good idea but is this the only answer Democrats could come up with in 40 years?

We are threatened with the global economy passing us by.

Schatz: I was just giving you an example of the kind of work done by Takumi and others that doesn't make headlines, but actually improves education. Another example is the significant increase in monies spent on school repair and maintenance. Until we have facilities, both at UH and in K-12, that are up to standard, no "reform" can be successful. Takumi and others are working on that which is proven to work. So he spends a lot of time researching, listening to education experts, and working on complicated public policy. He and other Dems who work on this kind of thing are disinclined toward press conferences, but they are doing the hard work that will improve our education system in the long run.

Tina: What impact will Hawai'i have on the general election? In the scheme of things, will our votes matter?

Schatz: Nobody knows what impact any individual state could have on the national election, but this primary season has taught us that Hawai'i can play a role in national elections, and one of the lessons from the Florida 2000 debacle is that a small number of votes and voters can literally determine who becomes president. I'm going to operate on the assumption that the election could be close, and that we've got to deliver Hawai'i for our Democratic candidate.

Kailua-Keiko: How can the Democrats get a better field of candidates? That's the real reason why people don't vote. And what about publicly financed elections, will that help?

Schatz: I believe that publicly financed elections would help not only in increasing the competitiveness of elections but also in terms of relieving candidates of the obligations associated with fundraising. The Legislature did something extraordinary this year, they passed a bill to provide for public financing of Hawai'i County Council elections. It's currently on the governor's desk for her consideration.

Ladyluck: Where do the Democrats stand on rail?

Schatz: The Democratic Party is officially in support of rail transit. Here is some of the verbiage: "The Democratic Party urges the City and County of Honolulu to make Honolulu the best place in the nation to live, work and raise families; create jobs for local labor, and reduce its carbon footprint by planning, building and operating an effective, efficient, reliable and environmentally sound modern steel rail rapid transit system."