FEC listings are public records, but audiences and context matter a lot. I've struggled to find a balance with this, calling attention to tech companies' political giving by citing FEC materials that contain employee names and (sometimes) home addresses. It's tricky.
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You don't want to punish people for participating in our political system, whether that's as donors, volunteers, candidates or staff. This is another example of those semi-private spaces I'm always going on about. You can find the names, but they shouldn't be shouted out loud.
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I think it's perfectly fine to ask "why is the owner of BURT'S BBQ here in San Antonio giving to Trump?". I think it's fine to link the FEC records. I don't think it's cool to publish an easy-to-retweet graphic of a bunch of people's full names, many of them retirees.
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Yeah this is where I've come down too.. the internet makes things.. weird. Bob and Maude at San Antonio Chevy or whatever are in no way equipped to handle an internet mob. Similar to big name right wing accounts quote tweeting random 15-follower women for their fans to harass.
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But the flip side of this coin is that I'm thankful to find out where Bob and Maude are making campaign contributions. It's tedious to hunt it down myself for every business, but if I find out I'll happily take my dollars to a different Chevy dealer.
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I'm conflicted about this. I donated to No on Prop 8, and as a result got creepy letters from some right wing lawyer making vague threats to me about over-donating. I kept the letter on my fridge for a while as a conversation piece.
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But ultimately the law says these records are public. And honestly, if you donate to a white supremacist, eventually you may have to end up answering for giving him money. This is, incidentally, why I think money is different than speech, or voting. It's "aid and comfort".
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Did you say the same about publicizing donors to prop H8? If you donate to causes which hurt your neighbors, expect your neighbors to act like to put your money towards hurting them.
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I donated to Sri Preston Kulkarni who is running to represent Texas Congressional district 22. I am not ashamed but I am proud because he is a decent human being. See how that works?
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Those folks are public figures. I lived in San Antonio from 1982 to 1986 and I recognized half the names on that list. You are making a lot of unwarranted assumptions about what Castro did.
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It’s public info! Wtf!
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