Free Republic

Stockton businessman Alex Spanos is among the top donors to a political group recently formed by backers of President Bush that has amassed a treasure chest of $35 million. The group plans a barrage of commercials criticizing Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry, even though the president this week denounced such outside organizations for running negative campaign ads. The Progress for America Voter Fund was launched in May after the Federal Election Commission refused to shut down a crop of well-funded liberal organizations that were going after the president. Those groups, known as 527s, had formed quickly and begun raising large...

The Capital Research Center recently reported that in 2002 Teresa Heinz Kerry presided over the disbursement of more than $65 million in grants through various Heinz family philanthropies. A large proportion of these grants went to liberal advocacy groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council and the League of Conservation Voters, which promote further regulation of business and higher taxes on the American people. Thus do the Heinz philanthropies join George Soros, Ted Turner, the Ford Foundation and scores of other donors in funding left-leaning causes. This report is simply the latest sign that organized philanthropy, like the academic...