Hawai'i's three previous governors spoke to O'ahu Democrats yesterday afternoon during a frank, thoughtful and often funny discussion on politics that included pokes at Republican Gov. Linda Lingle and — all being Democrats — their own party's leadership.

The trio — George Ariyoshi, John Waihe'e and Ben Cayetano — led the Islands in the 28 years before Lingle won in 2002. They could not recall the last time they shared a stage together. Free from the tethers and scrutiny of elected office, they spoke candidly about some of the challenges for the state's majority party.

Waihe'e said he hopes voters next year support calling a state constitutional convention because it could bring new blood into a party he believes may have forgotten how to fight. He said labor unions and activists who work on social issues may worry about the uncertainties of a constitutional convention, but believes it is worthy to periodically test bedrock ideas.

"Con-con? Yes, go for it. Why not?" he said. "Everybody ought to have the chance to blow the system up a little bit."

Cayetano gave a blunt assessment of the Democrats who control the state Legislature, who he said have the numbers, but not the will, to advance the party's ideas. He accused some Democrats of forgetting why they were elected and urged activists to either remind them or remove them from office.

"The leadership, as far as I'm concerned, in the Legislature is weak right now," he said.

Ariyoshi disagreed with Waihe'e on the purpose of a constitutional convention and with Cayetano's view of how closely lawmakers should have to adhere to the party's platform. He said the state Constitution should be the "principal expression of what we are" and that a constitutional convention is not the place to debate issues that could change with time.

Ariyoshi also said he wants lawmakers to exercise their best judgment after listening to public debate rather than always follow the party's agenda. "That's what this party is so good about. We're a big party. We encourage different thoughts and opinions," he said. "We make it possible for people to speak up and at the end we can shake hands and say, 'Oh, you and I don't see eye to eye on this problem.' "

The former governors took questions at Dole Ballrooms for about 90 minutes, from softballs such as when Waihe'e would write a book — (he joked he wanted to wait and see what Ariyoshi and Cayetano had written so he could have the last word) — to edgier probes about whether a possible Honolulu rail project should stop at the airport and university — (Waihe'e said it made sense; Cayetano opposed the entire project as too costly).

Asked what it means to be a Democrat and why they were successful at bringing people to their campaigns, all three said the key is finding a message built from the party's core principles of fairness and equality.

Waihe'e recalled advice he said he once received from Robert Oshiro, one of the party's early strategists, that political campaigns depend on a combination of people, money and message. Oshiro had told him you can fudge on the first two but not the third. "You can't get past the message," Waihe'e said.

Waihe'e said Democrats also have to believe they can win. He said Democrats did not believe former Mililani state senator Randall Iwase could beat Lingle last year when she cruised to a second term. "People power doesn't work when you don't believe," he said.

Cayetano predicted Democrats would recover in 2010 and would also continue to pick up seats in the Legislature because he said Lingle has yet to demonstrate any coattails for other Republican candidates. "The next governor is going to be a Democrat, that's for sure," he said.

While Waihe'e and Cayetano were critical of Lingle, they were also harsh on Democrats in the Legislature, who they said should have challenged the governor more on Hawaii Superferry and other issues. Lingle called lawmakers into special session to pass a bill overturning the courts and allowing the ferry to resume service while the state conducts an environmental review. The bill passed with overwhelming votes in the House and Senate.

Waihe'e, after an unrelated question, said he was surprised no one in the audience had asked about Superferry and why Democrats "capitulated to Linda Lingle. That would have been fun, but that's not the question."

Waihe'e and Cayetano said the issue was not about whether to support the ferry project but whether lawmakers would hold Lingle accountable. The Lingle administration exempted the project from an environmental review, which the state Supreme Court ruled was an error. Waihe'e said Democrats should not be afraid to be partisan.

Cayetano singled out state Rep. Marcus Oshiro, D-39th (Wahiawa), who aggressively questioned Lingle on Superferry at a public hearing last week. He said there are a lot of smart lawmakers in the Legislature. "But being smart is one thing, having the guts to ask questions is another thing," he said.

Afterward, state House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa), who, like Oshiro, was in the audience, said he disagreed with Waihe'e and Cayetano. He said Democrats were elected to represent the people in their districts and not simply challenge whatever position the governor takes because she is a Republican. The Superferry bill also includes a state audit of the Lingle administration's decision-making on the project.

"I think what they're talking about is a time when you could crack heads and strong-arm people into doing things," Caldwell said of party discipline. "Today, you have to work toward consensus. We have a diverse caucus. The Legislature today is not the Legislature of their time."

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.