Will YOU Reject Negative Campaigning

Ed Case on Hawaii Reporter TV

We all agree that this has been the most negative election in memory. Most of us are just plain disgusted. But are we going to take matters into our own hands?

Because the candidates and handlers, super PACs, dark money committees and special interests won't. They know the dirty secret: negative campaigning works. Except when we the voters vote against it. Except when negative campaigners and their supporters lose. Then they all think twice about going there the next time.

Take the '10 Governor election's "Compare and Decide" campaign. An outright appeal to racism and localism. That candidate and supporters lost and lost again. Racism and localism is unfortunately still part of Hawaii campaigns, but nobody's gone straight there since.

Now dark money super PAC Pacific Resource Partnership takes negative campaigning to new heights in the Honolulu mayoral race. Its false, secretly funded, $3 million-plus character attack on candidate Cayetano gambles that more voters will be fooled or just turn away from voting than will vote against that extreme negativity. Are you going to let PRP get away with that?

I support Cayetano because he'll be an independent leader who'll tell the truth, face the realities and make the decisions for Honolulu to survive and prosper over the next generation. But my vote is also my no to PRP and its ilk.

Make absolutely no mistake: if PRP succeeds in Hawaii's most negative campaign (so far), that campaign will become the new norm for Hawai'i politics and we can kiss the campaigns and candidates we want and deserve goodbye.

This is not up to the goodwill of the candidates and their worlds; they won't fix it.

Pub's Side Note: So we find another honest man. With all these crooks around us, it is not easy. But we are going to be with Ed Case next time out.