The New York Times reports today on stealth political spending in unprecedented sums, mostly for Republicans, by a big group able to mask sources of money. Groups such as these are taking over the political process with an utter lack of transparency. Republicans yesterday beat back legislaton to require more disclosure.

The article is about Americans for Job Security and leads with its rise to prominence when it emerged as a fake grassroots group fronting for a fat cat in a fight over a clean water referendum related to mining in Alaska. By the way: Where dirty political operators go you know you’ll find Tim Griffin. He was embroiled with other GOP hit men in that Alaska fight.

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Americans for Job Security is also the group that spent $1.5 million, maybe more, beating up on Bill Halter in his primary effort to unseat Sen. Blanche Lincoln. One of their fanciful and dishonest ads is shown below. Did the group like Lincoln? Or did they just want to remove a potentially stronger general election Democrat? I’d guess the latter. But the larger issue is that we don’t know, can’t know because they do their attacking with secretly sourced money. You’ll recall their listed headquarters is a mail drop.

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