Jeff Clark, independent congressional candidate in the 5th District, has a problem: Debt.
Of course, Clark is like most Americans who struggle with this endemic problem.
According to creditcards.com, which tracks these sorts of statistics, Americans who have credit cards carry a balance of nearly $16,000 and the total U.S. consumer debt is $2.4 trillion. (Not to mention the over $40,000 each taxpayer now owes for our federal government’s spending spree)
So what does this have to do with Clark?
On August 28, the Daily Progress ran a story detailing Clark’s woes with personal finance showing that he declared bankruptcy in 1993 and has a history of health care-related debt in the 1980’s.
Clark, who is a Tea Party activist, however, says that his experience with debt, and its financial ramifications, gives him a greater appreciation for what 5th District voters are facing during this recession.
That’s all well and good, but it’s a subjective argument – not one which may bring him many votes. However, what should be of concern to Hurt is that the mere appearance of bullying brings Clark – a candidate with little chance of winning – empathy.
Clark, again, is an independent. While he is an active member of the tea party, his status is not the same as a Paul (R-KY), Miller (R-AK) or Angle (R-NV), who all won the backing of independent, conservative Republicans to win the GOP nomination.
By being a true independent, the only role Clark might play right now is that of spoiler in the general election between the Republican, Robert Hurt, and Democratic incumbent, Tom Perriello. And, the most likely person that Clark will damage in the race is the Republican – as evidenced by the recent tea party insurgence.
The tea party is a conservative movement, so it stands to reason that when candidates run with a tea party association, they are either dynamically changing the GOP from within or are a threat to peel votes away in the general. It’s one of the reasons 2nd District GOP nominee Scott Rigell has attempted to reconcile with the movement.
This reality, of the tea party being conservative and loosely associated with the GOP, makes it interesting that Clark was approached by Mark Lloyd of the Lynchburg Tea Party not long ago and asked to drop out of the race because of rumors that Clark’s past debt might come to light during the course of the campaign.
Why would the tea party want Clark out of the race?
According to the Daily Progress:
“If [the person who tipped off the media regarding Clark’s debt] steps forward, explains how they came into possession of these documents and says who paid for them, we will drop our candidacy,” Clark said.
In order to drop out, Clark said, certain conditions must first be met. The person or persons who tipped off the media, he said, must reveal themselves, must say how they came in possession of the documents, disclose if they were compensated, reveal any political or campaign affiliation and say on whose behalf they gathered the information.
Because the 5th District is such a close race between Perriello and Hurt, the Republican will need all the votes he can get. While both the Hurt and Perriello campaigns have declined to comment on this issue, the most likely person wanting Clark out of the race is Hurt.
The likelihood of the tipster coming out is unlikely. However, given Clark’s play, is it possbile now that this will boomerang on the Hurt campaign, regardless of whether they were involved or not? Instead of Clark being damaged by the revelations, will he be now seen as a martyr – the guy who has the same problems as millions of Americans – facing an uphill climb against that which the tea party has labeled the Murkowski’s of the world: the national GOP insiders? Will voters of the 5th District begin to sympathize with Clark?
Whether or not Hurt was involved, I would certainly not want to be on the side of “no comment.” And, rightly or wrongly, Hurt may be blamed for this as the politics of personal destruction.
