As 'good government' groups fret about blogs and soft money, I'm looking more closely at Americans for Job Security, a 501c(6) non-profit trade association that is not subject to disclosure requirements.  One of the little discussed stories of the last few years is the huge influence of these groups and the secret corporate money they channel into the political process.  Nick Confessore had a great piece last year in the Washington Monthly called 'Bush's Secret Stash'.  The K Street Project has corrupted the business lobby, and allowed Republican operatives to command huge amounts of industry cash to interfere in elections.

Rick Santorum's use of the same actors and footage in his ads as Americans for Job Security is not a surprise.  What is surprising to me is that 'good government groups' aren't freaking out about the millions of dollars that are going undisclosed into races all over the country.  For instance, Americans for Job Security is running $500,000 worth of TV ads in Pennsylvania in support of Rick Santorum.  From the Washington Post:

AJS is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)6 organization and as a result does not have to make its donor list publicly available. Because of its tax status, the group cannot directly advocate the election or defeat of a candidate but can run issue-advocacy campaigns "educating" voters about where politicians stand on the issues.

This is a complete farce.  Rick Santorum and AJS are using the same damn footage in their ads.  How is this not DIRECTLY advocating the election or defeat of a candidate?  Or is Rick Santorum advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, while AJS is just educating voters about where politicians stand on the issues?  Come on.

Americans for Job Security is a spinoff of a pro-business group called simply 'The Coalition' (I swear you can't make this stuff up), and it was specifically designed to participate in elections.  That same Post article says the following:

AJS was a major player during the 2004 cycle, running ads in Senate races in South Dakota, Colorado, Alaska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Louisiana.Mike Dubke, president of AJS, said the ads are "kickoff for what we are going to be doing" in the 2006 cycle.

And where does AJS money come from?  We don't really know, though there are hints.  AJS began with a $1 million donation from the American Insurance Industry.

Quick!  Call a blogger conference to discuss the theoretical use of secret corporate money on the internet!