Mother Jones FEC: We Won't Treat Tea Partiers Like Jim Crow-Era NAACP Supporters

     This article by Andy Kroll appeared in Mother Jones online, today, November 21, 2013. The work presents the topic of the 3-2 rejection vote that was issued by the FEC (Federal Trade Commission) in response to an earlier request by the Tea Party group that their donors not be exposed by name to the public. Specifically, the filed petition was made on behalf of the Tea Party Leadership Fund which has received millions in private donations by around 600 individuals in just the past few years. The  demand was predicated upon a much earlier concession that was made for the NAACP years ago when it was feared that under the Jim Crowe laws, individuals who gave money to support causes could be at risk for racial hate crimes or other types of assault on their reputations or persons. Citing the potential for “harassment, threats, and reprisals,” the group claimed they should be due the same consideration. However, the argument failed to sway the FEC who rarely gives this type of exemption, and generally only for extreme situations. In essence the policy claim by the petitioners failed to convince the committee. By way of counter-argument and or rebuttal, opponents of the filing by the Tea Party pointed out that the evidence given to support their claim of threats to their personal safety and or actual damages was meager and failed to reach the level of requiring protective measures.      

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/11/fec-tea-party-exemption-jim-crow-naacp