The left has been slamming the Koch brothers’ donations to education after the Charles G. Koch Foundation’s made an agreement with Florida State University to sponsor an academic position in the university’s economics department. The real controversy is not related to the academy at all, of course: It’s the extension of a well coordinated, long-time political attack against the Kochs.

In recent weeks, editorial boards and columnists have lambasted the Kochs. Apparently supporting education isn’t so noble after all when the one’s behind the support believe in free markets and conservative ideas. As St. Petersburg Times columnist Robyn Blumner wrote: