Opponents of Honolulu’s Rail Project Don’t Fight Fair.

If you’re like me, you’re fed up to here with the deliberate and cynical misrepresentations being fed to the public during this political campaign.

Here in Hawaii, one of the hottest races is for Mayor of Honolulu. There’s a lot at stake, too, because one candidate, Kirk Caldwell, is strongly in favor of the city’s proposed transit project; his opponent, former governor Ben Cayetano, is against it. The outcome of the election will probably determine if construction will resume on the project or if the whole thing will be scrapped.

Unfortunately, the argument has deteriorated and it’s infuriating because the people running the campaign to oppose this project are not telling the truth. For example, one of their arguments is that the elevated system will be ugly.

To support that contention, these photos appeared recently in campaign material for Ben Cayetano. See the captions? We’re to believe that the good people of San Francisco tore down a massive ugly elevated rail system and — Voila! — the beauty of the City by the Bay was thereby revealed.

One problem: The ugly structure wasn’t a transit line. It was the Embarcadero Freeway! And, of course, the only possible alternative to Honolulu’s transit system would be more roads for more cars and more buses.

It would certainly be nice if the two sides could stick to the facts, tell the truth, and argue this hugely important issue on it’s merits. Of course, if they did that, the anti-rail folks would lose.