The Huffington Post had a new feature on their website the FundRace. It is an interactive map of the whole country that lets you search addresses, zip codes, cities, names, occupations and employers to find out who is giving to political candidates.
This is the map of my neighborhood. My husband and I are talking about sending Obama some money. If we had - we would be on this map. I am not sure how I feel about that.
When Brian first showed me the map - It was shocking - in another time and place this is a map to fuel Mob violence against neighbors. I thought of this in part because of what is going on in Berkeley with thousands of out of town 'troop' supporters showed up in town to show their displeasure with the Berkeley City council resolution regarding the armed forces recruiting center in downtown. Emotions are high in the city at what are day long processes. Those out of towners could use something like this to 'target' people who had contributed to campaigns they did not approve of.
If we are going to have this kind of radical transparency we are also going to have to have a mature society that manages to keep wacky group behavior under control.
COMMENT FROM MARY HODDER:
Hey Kailya,
agreed! although that info has always been available, locally and easily, it wasn't online, which now makes getting it super easy.
the issue is that our personal addresses, searchable with our names, are now online, and that is new and different. those of us with private addresses are now findable if we participate in campaign donations.
my advice is to get a po box or a mailing address and just use that.
but it is a new level of exposure that is strange.
mary
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