Campaign Finance Reform an Issue All Can Agree on in NH
Among the many issues central to the 2016 presidential election, campaign finance reform is far from being the most sexy. It doesn’t garner the same passion as gun control or abortion, can’t attract the same roaring cheers as a statement about taking down ISIS, and it’s vague proposed solutions often have put it on the back burner of the political stove. Campaign finance reform just doesn’t have the same appeal any of the issues other that have defined the election to this point. But after three days spent in New Hampshire, it has become abundantly clear that campaign finance reform is a bipartisan issue central to the people of the Granite state.
At Donald Trump’s Manchester headquarters, volunteers make phone calls to voters, make signs, and without solicitation, voice their support for the Republican candidate. The environment of the headquarters is indicative of the fly in, fly out strategy that Mr. Trump has employed in New Hampshire. One is led up a dark flight of stairs only to enter a slightly darker level, with a small office space and conference room with a phone bank. The office pales in comparison to those of other candidates. The many supporters walking through the halls are almost too eager to speak with you. They proudly bash Megyn Kelly and the “lame stream media,” and are quick to deliver discreet facts like Chris Christie’s “dismal” NRA rating. They touch on a number of other issues, often the ones that mean the most to them personally, but the issue that continues to come up as the volunteers passionately spoke about Mr. Trump is campaign finance reform.
Jay Aubin, a high-level Trump volunteer who spent 10 years serving in the military, believes that Donald Trump sets himself apart from the other Republican candidates by not having the support of a SuperPAC. He claims, “Donald Trump is not owned. Jeb Bush has gotten so much financial help from PACs, but Trump does it all on his own.” He goes on to say “No one gives money without expecting something in return. When Donald Trump is in office, he won’t have any favors he has to pay back,” he adds. Aubin, who has spent the last three weeks in Manchester working on the Trump campaign, even goes so far as to parallel Mr. Trump to Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders. The North Carolina farmer says, “Both of them are trying to accomplish the same goal. It’s all about campaign finance reform” He acknowledges the stark difference in how they plan to accomplish that goal, but believes the two share some surprising similarities.
On the exact opposite end of the political spectrum is a man named Dennis. At least that is what his name tag reads. He introduces himself as Anonymous and indicates so with his Guy Fawkes mask. He says he’s gotten in trouble at previous protests, and that the mask helps to keep him from being recognized.
A veteran of the Vietnam war and a retired private investigator, Dennis says he has become disenchanted as the role of money in politics has increased. As a retiree, admittedly with “too much” time on his hands, he descends upon Manchester anytime there is a major political event. Standing on a street corner across the from the media hotbed that is the Manchester Radisson, Dennis hands out flyers and verbally spreads his message to anyone who will listen. He believes it’s time to get money out of politics, and states with a particular sense of ire, “The more money you have, the more influence you can buy.” When asked which candidate he felt best represented this specific interest, he asked if it had to be a main stream candidate. After being told yes, he begrudgingly answered, “Gun to my head, Bernie Sanders.” Even the self-proclaimed socialist, running on a platform largely based on campaign finance reform, didn’t cut it for him. He shakes his head and says, “People need to know where the money is going.”
Just past the street corner is a large tent that emits muffled voices to its passers-by. Inside is the group of people that makes up the non-partisan campaign finance reform group NH Rebellion. The organization is made up of Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and according to volunteer Katherine Thorndike, “Just about anyone who’s for the cause.” Thorndike, a librarian from North Sandwich, New Hampshire eagerly discusses what the organization does, only pausing momentarily every few minutes to applaud one of the event’s various speakers. As a non-partisan group, NH Rebellion doesn’t endorse a candidate. Katherine explains, “The sole function of the group is to use the unique access we have here in New Hampshire in order to find out what the candidates are going to do about the issue of campaign finance.” Beginning Friday morning, nearly every major campaign has sent a representative to the tent to speak to the organization’s constituency in the hope of proving themselves to the group. Thorndike says with a grin on her face, “Bernie’s representative was definitely the best. But a lot of us knew that already.”
Katherine is finally cut off by free ice cream and a booming voice. Ben Cohen, the founder of Ben & Jerry’s and a staunch supporter of NH Rebellion, steps onto the stage. The crowd enjoys their free portions of Cherry Garcia and Americone Dream and showers the Vermont-native with applause as he speaks about the injustices caused by money in politics. “Behind Larry Lessick from Harvard, this guy is the best every year,” Katherine explains. Cohen’s charm and humor evidently appeal to the group of mostly middle class voters. He ends his speech shouting “It’s time to stamp money out of politics!” and is met with a roaring applause.
In what has been a particularly divisive election, it has often been hard to find any true similarities between those on either side of the political spectrum. Go from a Bernie Sanders stump speech to the Tea Party Alliance’s Ted Cruz meet & greet and you’ll understand just how stark the differences are. The number of undecided voters just 24 hours before the first in the nation primary is indicative of just how split much of the population is. But in a refreshing breeze of bipartisan acknowledgement, the issue of campaign finance reform appears to be one that nearly everyone in New Hampshire can agree upon–the system needs to be fixed.
