Socialists Prefer Not To Share
The Socialist Workers Party candidate for Mayor of Seattle, Chris Hoeppner, has been granted the right to shield the names of his donors from the public eye. (see story in the Seattle Times) My first instinct is to shrug – he’s not going to win anyway. I certainly don’t need a list of people who lost money at a casino last night; why do I need a list of people who gamble in local politics? I found two important responses:
- Protect workers against job action
It seems from a story at The Militant (a paper I’d never heard of before) that Chris is courting the unionized vote. Can’t say as I blame him since it seems a natural field for his party. However, the world of union workplaces is very messy. From my own experience, I could very well see someone being fired if their employer was nervous about a possible union and the employee’s named turned up on a donor list for the Socialist Workers Party.
- Promote disinformation efforts
Besides firing potential “troublemakers” a time honored strategy has been to create dissent within the ranks. Imagine the emergence of a Socialist Labor Party which causes dissent and arguing within the Socialist movement. Who would benefit? Anyone who opposed the movement. Employers used to create employer funded unions in a similar spirit, although that has since been forbidden. The secrecy surrounding the donor list allows for a company funded candidate to spread internal dissent.
My instincts tell me that the second possibilty is far more remote than the first so this is probably a good decision. Still, I find it a little disturbing that today’s Seattle still needs to worry about such pettiness.
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