Arthur Finkelstein is a
Republican political consultant who was at the height of his influence in the
1980's. He is best known for three things, or four if you count his personal life.
Although he was not the first to create negative campaign commercials, his name became closely associated with certain types of attack ads, which concentrated on pointing out certain perceived flaws in the opposing candidate.
He also created or discovered the Finkelstein box. Imagine an irregular line drawn around the middle of the United States, with the East and West coasts and the Northeast and Southern Texas and a few other places outside the box. Inside this Finkelstein box is largely Republican territory, outside largely democratic. Many people consider this box an artifact which does not give much real insight into voting patterns.
Arthur Finkelstein is one of those Republicans who believe the party is catering too much to Southerners, at the expense of the rest of the country. Many Republicans disagree, including some not from the South, who believe the South has enriched the family values of the Republican party.
Arthur Finkelstein is a practicing homosexual, and some Republicans believe this influences his attitude towards traditional morality as practiced in the South.