The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy and some other bits of news in recent days give rise to a thought: Why hasn't Hawai'i seen more of the kind of dynastic politics that seems so common around the world?

The news is already full of speculation about "which Kennedy" might inherit the Senate seat held for so long by "Ted," the last surviving member of his generation. Until she self-destructed with some ill-timed political steps, it was widely assumed that Caroline Kennedy would walk right into the New York Senate seat left vacant by Hillary Clinton, on her way to establishing yet another political dynasty.

Around the world, it is interesting to read that in Japan, a groundbreaking shift in the political landscape that saw the victory of the left-leaning Democratic Party of Japan after nearly a half-century of dominance by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party was led by a man, Ichiro Ozawa, whose roots are by any definition traditional and dynastic. Ozawa rose through the ranks as a protege of Japan's quintessential political boss, "Steamroller" Kakuei Tanaka and he came to parliament by winning the seat once held by his father.

The same kind of story is told over and again around the world, from Pakistan and India to the old democracies of Europe.

Yet oddly, despite ironclad control of politics in Hawai'i by one party for almost all of our 50 years, Hawai'i has yet to see much in the way of dynastic politics. Occasionally, the Legislature will see someone arrive to take a seat once held by an older relative. (The names Takamine and Oshiro come to mind.) But it would be a stretch to say this was a case of political heritage handed from father to son; rather it was a matter of the next generation winning the post on their own terms and abilities.

Over the years, there has been a recurring joke that Hawai'i's political system combines the best of Japan's (hide-bound) bureaucratic system and New Orleans' entrenched good-old-boys system. That's funny, but if so, where is the evidence?

If Hawai'i was truly a dynastic system, where are the powerful leaders of today named Burns or Ariyoshi, Waihee or Cayetano, Inouye or Fasi?

James Burns, the son of the late Gov. John A. Burns, has emerged as a player at some level in the days since he stepped down from the state Judiciary. He was, for instance, a prominent delegate for Barack Obama at the most recent National Democratic Convention. But no Burns has ever emerged as a political figure to be reckoned with in his or her own right.

The same applies to other governors: Gov. John Waihee saw his son achieve some political success as an elected trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, but that's about it. Former Mayor Frank Fasi, who produced a remarkable brood of telegenic, skillful and successful children, has failed to see any one of his children come close to the political successes he enjoyed.

And so it goes. Perhaps the voters in Hawai'i have a special approach to their politics. They like to elect the same people (and the same party) over and over again. But somehow, they are not ready to endorse the idea that political office is inherently someone's birthright.