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> This one does: Report: Scandal rocks Kerry campaign
>
> A week ago, the Boston Herald's Inside Track column discussed a National Enquirer investigation on John Kerry which claimed Kerry is "an admitted pot smoker who had an eye for Hollywood honeys, namely Morgan Fairchild, Michelle Phillips and Catherine Oxenberg. In fact, Morgan and Michelle were so turned off by him, they both contributed to the other candidates seeking the nomination," the Herald stated.

Interesting detail. Here's an aside on that:

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http://thetrack.bostonherald.com/moreTrack/insideTrack.bg?articleid=104&format=

Kerry's ex-galpals get fiscal with his opponents
By Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa
Tuesday, October 21, 2003

They say nobody knows you like your ex, so what are we to make of the fact that actresses Morgan Fairchild and Michelle Phillips, both of whom dated Sen. John Kerry, have donated dough to his opponents' presidential campaigns???

Fairchild, who is best known these days for her turn as Chandler Bing's mom on ``Friends,'' has given money to not one, not two but THREE Kerry rivals trying to capture the Democratic presidential nomination.

The star of the forgettable 1997 flick, ``Bimbo Movie Bash,'' doled out $500 to Dick Gephardt, another $500 to John Edwards and $250 to Howard Dean. Kerry got the big donut.

Meanwhile, Phillips, former crooner for the Mamas and the Papas, ponied up $250 to Dean. Michelle, mother of singer Chynna Phillips and stepmother of actress Mackenzie Phillips, has donated to President Bill Clinton and other Demmies in the past.

And although Phillips was invited to a Kerry fund-raiser in New York last June, there's no record she ever wrote a check.

Needless to say, the Dean people were gleeful at the news - particularly in light of the bumper sticker the Kerry campaign has been circulating to try to woo back Dean supporters. It reads, ``Dated Dean, Married Kerry.''

``Maybe they should consider printing a new one,'' said Dean spokesgal Dorie Clark. ``Dated Kerry, Donated To Dean.''

Ouch!

It's unclear whether the senator's ex-galpals are peeved at their former paramour or just swept off their feet by his opponents - neither returned our calls.

But we can tell you that at the time he was supposedly dating Fairchild, Kerry was also entangled with Boston lawyer Roanne Sragow. And that kind of thing can put a gal off!

Of course, the once-merry bachelor is now happily married to ketchup heiress Teresa Heinz. And his peeps had the big ``no comment'' on the donations.

File under: Give 'Til It Hurts.
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Incidentally, this is probably just coincidence, but FWIW Michelle and John Phillips used to hang around Jane Fonda's circle of friends in Hollywood before Fonda became associated with Kerry. I remember this from reading biographies of the two Phillips and some of their celebrity friends (there's also some stuff in Roman Polanski and the Beach Boys' bios). I'm not finding a handy link that sums up the details, but here are some of the noteworthy names from Phillips and Fonda's social circle: "In '68 Michelle had a daughter by Papa John named Chynna, who herself became a popular singer in the '90s. But by the end of '68 Michelle and John had broken up for good. Michelle then took up with actor Dennis Hopper, a relationship that culminated in a disturbing eight-day marriage in '70. With the group finally disbanded, her Hollywood life took over, resulting in romantic links with Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and Roman Polanski."--http://www.swinginchicks.com/michelle_phillips.htm) Again, that's probably coincidental, though looking into Fonda's activities in that time may perhaps shed some light on the context and development of the early Fonda-Kerry relationship. Does anyone know any more about who Kerry has been known to associate with in Hollywood?

Here's a potentially interesting angle on Kerry's relationship to Morgan Fairchild:

http://www.morganfairchild.com/biography.htm

Morgan is one of the original members and is on the Board of Directors of the Hollywood Women's Political Committee, a political action committee that has raised millions for liberal candidates for state and federal office. They were co-organizers of the pro-choice rally in Washington in 1989 that drew 500,000 people and Los Angeles co-producers of the Nelson Mandala dinner that raised almost $1 million on his recent U.S. tour. Whether it's appearing on "Nightline" on AIDS or CBS's "Sixty Minutes" on women's issues or testifying before the Senate on environmental causes, the public has come to respect Morgan as more than just a glamorous star.

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http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,962,00.html

Hollywood Women Quit Political Fundraising

by Elizabeth Johns

Apr 14, 1997, 5:45 PM PT

What Hollywood giveth, Hollywood taketh away.

Calling for an overhaul of political fundraising, the Hollywood Women's Political Committee, an organization of entertainment players that has raised nearly $7 million for liberal candidates and causes, is disbanding, citing the "total corruption" of the nation's political fundraising system.

"In the last 10 years, we have seen a cumulative effect--the buying and selling of public office," says Susan Grode, entertainment attorney and former committee member. Grode says it became impossible to influence a system based on money in a positive way while helping to raise money for that same system.

The group, which boasted Barbra Streisand and Jane Fonda as members, is now asking Congress to enact comprehensive campaign finance reform. But members say the decision to disband isn't linked to President Clinton's last campaign or current fundraising woes. "If that were so, we would have done this right after the election," Grode says.

Since 1984, the organization has held fundraisers for issues like women's right to choose, as well as Presidential and congressional candidates. The organization hosted the National President's Gala last fall, which raised nearly $4 million for Clinton's re-election, and two "Take Back the Congress" events in 1996 that netted more than $300,000. In addition, Streisand's performance at her Malibu home in 1992 raised $1 million for Clinton, U.S. Senate candidates Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein and the Democratic Party.

But the nation's fundraising system is only getting worse, Grode says. "In last year's Presidential campaign, $2 billion was spent between the Presidential and congressional campaigns. If limits were put in place, that money could be going other places." The group said in a statement that the price of elections these days has alienated "the vast majority of Americans...Anyone without a personal fortune or connections to great wealth cannot be elected to public office."

By disbanding and creating a void, the organization is hoping to make politicians and the public sit up and take notice. "The system is not improving, so we saw we needed to effect change another way, " Grode says.