Campaign finance: Does anyone care?

It is a whole new money game with profound implications, but we are three
weeks away from Election Day and the debate over campaign finance is going
nowhere. The White House is picking fights with the Chamber of Commerce over
the question of foreign money being used to pay for ads supporting Republican
campaigns. The president and his senior adviser, David Axelrod, have raised
the question but have provided no evidence that it’s happening.

Americans are tuning the whole thing out. For example, in the race for Vice
President Joe Biden’s Senate seat in Delaware, voters know more about whether
Christine O’Donnell “dabbled” in witchcraft than the fact that a complaint
has been filed against her with the FEC charging that
O’Donnell has used campaign funds for personal use.

Stephen Fincher is running for the open seat held by retiring Rep. John
Tanner (D) in the 8th district of Tennessee, and a complaint has been
filed with the FEC against him as well, for questions surrounding a $250,000
loan to his campaign, which could amount to an illegal corporate contribution.

Fincher is a soybean, cotton and wheat farmer who listed his family farm as
his only asset in financial disclosure forms required by law for all
candidates for federal office. He also listed a $250,000 loan to himself as
personal funds, according to the complaint filed on behalf of his opponent, state Sen. Roy Herron. It was later revealed that the loan was made by Gates
Banking & Trust, a bank where Fincher’s father serves on the board of
directors. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as well as rules of the
FEC, require that loans from banks be disclosed by including not only the
name of the bank but collateral for securing the loan. No such information
was filed on the loan.

In addition to farming, Fincher, 37, is a gospel singer whose family singing
group does 100 events a year. His website declares “my roots run deep in
Tennessee, not politics,” and he is — no surprise — running against
Washington and business as usual. He is, however, being accused of business
as usual — omissions to his disclosure statements just like House Ways and
Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) will answer questions about at his
trial before the ethics committee in the House next
month.

Fincher has avoided the press and questions about his campaign’s finances and
has refused to debate his opponent. An editoral in the Jackson Sun from
Sept. 30 stated that a casual observer would have reason to believe that Fincher was
negligent or hiding something since Fincher listed no assets or bank
accounts. “Fincher’s disclosures of about $60,000 in annual income, despite
receiving millions in federal farm subsidies, seems at odds with his home,
lifestyle and private school education for his children,” it said. “If
Fincher won’t live by the rules of full disclosure and transparency before
the election, how can he be trusted afterward?”

Fincher is running ahead of Herron and is expected to win on Nov. 2. If
voters aren’t asking questions now about how candidates are financing their
campaigns, will they ever ?
 

DO VOTERS CARE ABOUT CAMPAIGN FINANCE? Ask A.B. returns Wednesday, Oct. 13.
Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending your questions and answers to askab@digital-stage.thehill.com.
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