Cayetano’s brash campaign will rattle more than rail

On one side there is Kirk Caldwell, collecting union endorsements like they were baseball cards.

Most of the political heavyweight unions, including the ILWU, the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the police union are all backing the former acting mayor in his campaign to become mayor of Honolulu.

Then there is the incumbent, Peter Carlisle, who doesn’t have any major endorsements, but has the job. It is a firm rule of politics that incumbents have an advantage. It goes with the saying, "Possession is nine-tenths of the law."

And then there is Ben Cayetano, running for mayor and against City Hall.

Except for the painting yourself blue part, Cayetano is more William Wallace in "Braveheart" than a cool, rational politician making only calculated moves.

"I’m 72 and I don’t care what they say," Cayetano said during an interview before his campaign rally Wednesday in Manoa.

By basing his campaign on the premise that the city’s heavy rail plan, backed by his opponents, is a financial and cultural disaster for Oahu, the two-time former governor and lieutenant governor is going up against not just Carlisle and Caldwell, but much of the Democratic Party’s kings and kingmakers.

Cayetano’s Manoa rally attracted a friendly audience of about 250. After free chili and rice, the crowd sat down to listen to Cayetano and his self-proclaimed "truth squad" (an assemblage of officials from the four previous city administrations) detail the faults of rail and the virtues of a new bus system.

In the other corner is a newly formed pro-rail group headed by Hawaii’s senior U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye. The Move Oahu Forward group is a who’s who of Hawaii business leaders, from the electric and gas companies to the airlines, the insurance companies and the hotels. Even L&L Drive-Inn’s Eddie Flores is on the masthead. Also included were enough big landowners to reshoot the reading-of-the-will scenes from the movie "The Descendants."

So just by continuing, Cayetano’s campaign is a statement of audacity. Former governors are not exactly where you look when you want to block something supported by the landed gentry, the unions and the political power elite.

Of course, on one level the Cayetano campaign is all about rail. The veteran Democrat makes a good case: He was a superb trial attorney and his presentation puts all those skills to use.

On the other hand, the new HART executive director and CEO Daniel Grabauskas is building a compelling case for rail, including how it is essential for the continued growth of Honolulu.

On another level, perhaps not as important as the decision of whether to build the rail line, is the question of Cayetano’s challenge to the state’s power and political structure.

Cayetano has always been a strong, liberal Democrat. The union leaders and the politicians he now opposes are expected to take the battle for rail and against Cayetano to a political level.

So far, Cayetano’s legislative ally, Gov. Neil Abercrombie, has stayed clear of the nonpartisan mayor’s race, but a lot of his supporters are helping Cayetano’s campaign.

If Cayetano wins, there will be, at least in the beginning, an alliance between Cayetano running City Hall and Abercrombie steering the state.

If that comes to pass, it will signal a serious loss of face for Inouye, who has said the only thing that can stop the rail construction is "World War III."

For this election year, a lot more than just who becomes mayor of Honolulu is at stake.

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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.