Democrats Attack Private Citizen For Hosting Fundraiser For A Republican

Earlier today it was announced that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg would be holding a fundraiser for Republican Governor Chris Christie. I haven’t really been paying attention, but apparently Zuckerberg has always been rather private about his politics. This is the first public indication on which way he may lean.

But more interesting than the fundraiser itself was the way Democrats reacted to it. The Democrat Governors Association is now calling on Zuckerberg to cancel the fundraiser. Because a private citizen can’t just support someone they don’t like (via Twitchy):

Here’s more from the DGA:

Stop Zuck’s Christie Fundraiser!

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is hosting a fundraiser for right-wing Republican darling Chris Christie.

Sign the form at the right to tell Zuckerberg to cancel his fundraiser and stop funding Gov. Christie’s re-election campaign.

What’s fascinating to me about this is that the Democrats thought this was a good idea. Especially given the political context this is happening in. Ever since the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling gutted federal campaign finance laws that restricted spending in private groups and citizens on supporting or opposing candidates Democrats have been on a push to assault said groups with new legislation requiring disclosure of who is funding them.

It’s called the DISCLOSE Act, and though it’s stalled in Congress, President Obama has been trying to effectively accomplish the same goal through the SEC by requiring that private companies disclose which political groups they give money too.

The point of all of this is that Democrats don’t seem to have a lot of respect for the freedom of private citizens, and private companies, to engage in political activities freely.