527s & The Kerry Connection

CNN reported in April that Kerry hired MoveOn.org's "On-Line Chief":

"John Kerry has hired an Internet-savvy Democrat to run his presidential campaign's online communications, a move that raises new questions about the link between his campaign and the independent groups that run TV ads on his behalf.

"Zach Exley, the director of special projects for the MoveOn PAC, is going to the Kerry campaign to become its director of online communications and organization. Exley also worked during the Democratic presidential primary for Howard Dean, helping Dean set up his web-based organization.

"Since Kerry became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in early March, the MoveOn PAC has spent more than $2.5 million on TV ads that attack President Bush. [They have] spent roughly $17 million on ads since it started running its "misleader" campaign against Bush last year."

There's even more 527 connections here.

Let's take a look at the Kerry Connections, shall we?

Meanwhile, it's been reported that "[The Ruckus Society] an anarchist group [is] planning disruptions at next week's Republican National Convention in New York gets funding from a Ted Turner foundation as well as a foundation chaired by Teresa Heinz Kerry [via the Tides Foundation]."

You'll find the detailed breakdown of The Ruckus Society here and here. And then over here you'll find that the Howard Heinz Endowment has donated over $6 million to The Tides Foundation (a Teresa favorite) between 1995-2001.

And, through all this, President Bush has the highest campaign finance disclosure rate (at 93%). Yet, Kerry (with the exception of Wesley Clark) has the lowest rate of campaign finance disclosure rate (76%). See the comprehensive breakdown here.

UPDATE: Must do a Hat-Tip to Jay Caruso, Q&O, and Blogs For Bush.