Posted on 08/27/2020 5:35:59 AM PDT by karpov
A third of Americans fear being fired for their political beliefs. Unfortunately, for those who wish to support political campaigns, federal and state laws leave no place to hide.
“Cancel culture” has divided First Amendment advocates. Some argue that private actors must tolerate differing views for free speech to survive, while others say the only concern should be government intrusions on speech. But when private individuals target and harass other Americans for their political donations, the government can’t say it plays no role.
Campaign contributions are public because the law requires it. Every American who gives more than $200 to a candidate for president or Congress, or to a political party, has his name, address and employer published in an online, searchable database. Every state has similar laws for reporting contributions to state candidates, many with substantially lower donation thresholds.
It wasn’t always this way. The earliest laws mandating that donations be reported date only from the late 19th century, and weren’t seriously enforced, by states or Congress, until the 1970s. Even then accessing reports required visiting a government office and digging through paper or microfiche records. Unless donors’ contributions caught the attention of investigative journalists, few were widely exposed.
Today, the laws haven’t changed, but the technological and cultural landscapes have shifted dramatically. Anyone can look up your donations in seconds. Most Americans still prefer to judge candidates through news coverage and campaign materials. But others regularly mine these databases not so much to inform their decisions but to gain information that can be used to harm candidates—and, more important, donors to candidates—that they oppose.
In 2019 Rep. Joaquin Castro tweeted the names and employers of opposition party donors in his district, leading some to receive threatening phone calls.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Guerilla countermove: give $199 to a number of candidates instead of $200 or more to one. Nothing need be reported.
I know of one well-known Dem Congressman who systematically does this.
The transparency of that law was well-intended, but unfortunately our political culture has been overrun by Saul Alinsky acolytes. Time to make changes.
I want to donate but I don’t want to reactivate my name on political lists. I wish we could just donate and they would leave us alone.
It is none of the government’s (local, state or federal) business, to whom I donate money, political or otherwise...........................
George Orwell was a prophet. Those in the Light--note tagline--received his prophesies as a warning, those on the Dark Side, as an instruction manual.
If the Democrats succeed in November 2020, Orwell's nightmare will become a reality.
My contributions to Trump of less than $200 are showing up on the FEC database. Not that I care. I’m going to donate again.
Cyclotic has made donations to the campaigns of Kim Klacik, Donald Trump and Neil Parrott.
Neil is a friend of mine and a true conservative for Maryland
Yeah that's my biggest complaint, I gave two $100 donations to Trump in 2016. Now I get reams of junk mail from every Republican leaning organization in existence. I stopped opening it long ago, now it goes straight into the shredder unopened. Not to mention now that the election is getting close, the donation calls and text messages have started, up to 10 on some days.
I wonder if they realize they're shooting themselves in the foot with such tactics? I would likely have given the Trump campaign as much if not more this year, but I'm holding off hoping (probably futilely) that if I don't give anything for a couple elections I'll fall off the lists.
Yep, that's been in my employment contract for 15 years.
Why? Because I work in a very heavily federally regulated industry and my employer has to verify BY LAW every contribution I and everyone else makes to ensure no conflict of interest or quid pro quo.
I of course skirt these requirements every election cycle and won't disclose how I do so. :-) It's easy enough to get around them and wouldn't take anyone with a functional IQ more than a minute or two to think of their own way(s) around them too.
I understand the sentiment that disdains the attention given as the result of contributing to the campaigns.
Think of the fact that receiving all the mail is a tribute to your effort and contribution. The campaigns don’t know who can or will contribute more. It is not a personal affront when you receive a request from a foreign Congressman.
It can be worse. I made a contribution or two and then my wife decided she wanted to contribute. We now get double mailings to me and to her
Throw them away and be thankful for the oportunity
Yet at the same time I’m willing to bet that your employer retains at least one Washington lobbyist with an open spigot of money to spend.
The hypocrisy on this topic is just breathtaking.
Politifact claims the story stating this was false, Harris did not threaten Trump donors.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jun/29/viral-image/no-kamala-harris-didnt-vow-vengeance-against-trump/
But the fact is, professionals and business people do fear these donation records, and with good reason.
I got doxxed in a local libs website for my Trump contributions. Don’t really care.
But...I’m retired.
If people are afraid to have campaign donations monitored, do you think that they will accept and unsollicited call from a stranger and then freely and truthfully discuss their political opinions? Polls are bogus.
Better yet.
Donate in the form of anonymous gift cards, each under $200. I am pretty sure you can “same as cash” gift cards.
Bingo. Leftists complain about polls being bad, and are the cause of it.
If Republican voters/Trump voters feel threatened, it is a threat.
The recent action by SDNY against the organization, We Build the Wall clearly demonstrates the motivation of such Democrat reprobates. They want a list of donors, ostensibly in case refunds of donations are ordered. But we all know how they will use the list...
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