Kathy wrote this for the Huffington Post. I've seen these ads and its important to understand the murky back story behind "Americans For Job Security."

As the 2008 election draws ever closer, New Hampshire voters will be seeing lots of political activity. Former Governor Jeanne Shaheen has been out talking to voters and running positive television ads describing the issues she will champion in the United States Senate, such as reducing gas prices, fixing the economy and brining our troops home from Iraq. Unfortunately, Republican operatives, hiding behind a front group named Americans for Job Security, have already spent over $250,000 attacking Shaheen on radio and in the mail, and they're employing the same sort of behavior that has prompted outrage among New Hampshire voters in the past. Shaheen is the top target for Republican attacks this year, and she'll need as much help as possible in responding: www.jeanneshaheen.org .
AJS is a non-profit organization that claims to be a trade association, yet according to a 2004 Washington Monthly story, it does not list its members. While political committees and candidates by law must disclose their contributors, groups like AJS pretend that they are engaging in "issues advocacy", educating the public. But a 2004 Texas Observer article (appropriate entitled "Meet the Attack Dogs") called AJS what it really is: "one of the nation's most vicious campaign hit teams, a secret outfit whose reach spreads all over the American political system. It specializes in attempted assassination of political careers under the guise of issue education...."
Furthermore, to qualify as an issues group, AJS must be independent of any campaign or candidate. Yet AJS has a long record of running attack ads in election years in states from Alaska to Texas to Minnesota to New Hampshire, and has a history of connections to the Sununu family and Republican politics. In 2002, for example, it ran over $1 million in anti-Shaheen ads. Its executive director at the time was longtime Sununu family confidante David Carney, who previously had run the draft Sununu effort. Benjamin Ginsburg, the attorney for the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, served as legal counsel to AJS. Former NHGOP executive director Steve DeMaura currently runs AJS.
AJS and people associated with AJS have a history voters should be aware of. For example, according to a report by the New Hampshire Attorney General, in 2002 Republican operatives discussed forming a committee to make "independent expenditures" in that year's primary elections. I stress the term "independent expenditure" because under the law, independent expenditures cannot be coordinated with candidates or their agents. One operative was quoted in the report stating that David Carney, at the time an aide to Republican gubernatorial candidate Gordon Humphey, told the others he could get $10,000 from the Republican Gubernatorial Association to help pay for calls encouraging Democratic voters to vote for Governor Shaheen's primary opponent. That plan did not go forward, but Carney was forced to apologize for baselessly accusing Governor Shaheen's campaign of anonymous telephone and postcard attacks on Humphrey, which were in fact arranged by Republicans.

In 2004, Norway Hill, a company owned by Carney, paid workers to obtain petition signature to put independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader's name on the Granite State ballot. When asked by reporters about the effort, Carney claimed that Norway Hill had undertaken the effort at the behest of a group called "Choices for America", and that Norway Hill's activities were a donation to Choices for America. However, Choices for America representatives told Federal Elections Commission investigators that they had no knowledge of Norway Hill. The investigators concluded that Norway Hill had made a prohibited in kind corporate contribution to assist the Nader campaign. Unfortunately, the FEC commissioners stunningly decided to turn a blind eye to its own investigators' recommendations, letting Norway Hill off the hook following individual $2,000 payments made by Carney, his wife and a business associate to Norway Hill, and reported the payments as donations to the Nader campaign.
AJS itself has been the subject of several investigations. Last year, Public Citizen, a campaign finance watchdog group, filed complaints with both the FEC and the IRS against AJS. In 2002, the Alaska Public Offices Commission ruled that AJS violated state campaign laws. In 2004, AJS paid fines in Oklahoma for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (there they go with phones again!). And last week, the New Hampshire Democratic Party filed a complaint with the FEC because the AJS radio ads against Shaheen violate federal election law.
So, here we are, in 2008, and Americans for Job Security is running attack ads against a political candidate during an election year, yet claiming that it is not trying to influence an election, and refusing to release the names of its members or its donors. The difference this year is that New Hampshire voters have shown that they are tired of Republican operatives and organizations that refuse to play by the rules. The 2002 phone jamming conspiracy nearly bankrupted the state Republican Party. The harassing phone calls made by the National Republican Congressional Caucus in 2006 were the final nail in the coffin of Charlie Bass's failed re-election bid. It is time for the New Hampshire Republican Party and Republican candidates like John E. Sununu to show New Hampshire voters that they have learned their lesson, and that they reject the tired old tactics of past campaigns. They can do that by demanding that AJS disclose who its members are, where its money comes from, and that it stop its attack ads.

I respect John McCain, period. In particular I respect the Maverick McCain. Unfortunately Republicans are afraid that the authentic John McCain can’t beat Barack Obama.

Now we see a huge shake up at the top of Senator McCain’s campaign. The master minds of George Bush 2004 are now in charge.

Steve Schmidt, a close buddy of Karl Rove will run the show from now until November you can be sure. No campaign can survive another shake up. The die is cast.

Expect a “Red Meat” campaign from here on out.

That should cheer a lot of front page bloggers here and I would assume their brethren throughout this great land of ours. Lately it’s become fashionable to praise George Bush here.  Now the folks who brought you George Bush are going to re-- package John McCain.  If that's what it takes to motivate your base, so be it!

It’s amazing how powerful the far right remains in the Republican Party—even after the debacle of 2006.

It’s amazing but I’m not at all surprised . As I’ve been writing for three years, Main Street Republicans have played second fiddle to the far right for so long that they have no infrastructure and no “star strategists” who know how to win campaigns. They haven’t developed the particular type of genius it takes nowadays to harness the internet, voter files, grass root activists, communications and everything else it takes to win campaigns nowadays.

So the only game in town is the tried and true Bush Rove team.

We’ll see how Senator McCain wears the new packaging.

All in good fun department:

I hope Bob Demaura, the owner of NH INSIDER, had a good night’s sleep and is feeling chipper this morning because I’m going to have some fun at his expense.

For new readers let me point out that Bob and I are on different sides of the political divide but he has remained fair and impartial for as long as I’ve been writing here. It’s always been a pleasure working with him.

So really--I don’t  want to ruin Bob’s morning coffee but:

Yesterday Bob did two things that I found curious. For the first time ever—he posted a comment under my column. Suffice to say Bob didn’t like something that Carol Shea-Porter, Paul Hodes and Jeanne Shaheen (all Democrats) were doing. Fair enough and no problem really.

But yesterday Bob also posted a Rumor Mill piece that remains on the top of the front page as I write. Again Bob took Carol Shea-Porter to task. His piece was short so I’ll post the whole thing here:

 Will the NH Sec. of State and NH AG Take Action?

“NHInsider.com was told, after going back and forth a few times that it is against the law to use the image of the State Seal on our webpage. When we objected the State Attorney General issued a cease and desist order or something to the effect that they were going to prosecute us for using the seal. We took it off our front page.

Now congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter has a website

http://www.sheaporter.com/

This website is affiliated with Rep Shea-Porter's campaign for another term in the US house of Representatives. That has no real connection to the State of NH business yet she has the State Seal adoring her front page.

Will she be threatened with legal action or will she be allowed to keep it up on her website?"

Endquote:

Sorry, but this time I can’t say “Fair enough.”

Bob omitted to say that Jeb Bradley has the seal on the front page of  his website too!

This begs two questions:

Why did Bob single out Carol and not Jeb?

Will Jeb Be mad at Bob if the AG comes a knockin?

I’ve asked Bob the first question in the comments. I also asked Bob to cite the law that the AG used against him. I’ve been critical of the AG myself at times. As a matter of fact I took them to court two years ago.  Yes, I charged the AG with misconduct and surprise, surprise I LOST!!! 

Maybe Bob did get treated with a heavy hand.  

Anyway I did some searches myself.

I think I hit on a possible explaination.

If you look closely at both sites you will note that in fact our current and former Congresspersons have posted a portion of the state flag and not the state seal. They look almost identical but there is a legal difference.  There are more restrictions on the use of the State Seal.

I’m not offering a legal opinion, but it looks both Carol and Jeb have a legal leg to stand on after all.

One thing remains certain--this story isn't going away soon.

Until we get to the bottom of this, three questions will linger on the public mind:

Will Carol and Jeb hire the same lawyer to defend them and split the fee?

Will Bob help Jeb pay his share?

Will Jeb ever talk to Bob Again?

Stay tuned.

For legal wonks only: Here are the laws differentiating the state flag and the state seal.

3:2 State Flag. – The state flag shall be of the following color and design: The body or field shall be blue and shall bear upon its center in suitable proportion and colors a representation of the state seal. The seal shall be surrounded by a wreath of laurel leaves with nine stars interspersed. When used for military purposes the flag shall conform to the regulations of the United States.

3:4 Permission to Use State Flag. – The governor is authorized to make rules and regulations governing the use and display of the state flag not inconsistent with the provisions of RSA 646, and it shall be lawful to use and display said flag in accordance with such rules and regulations. This section shall be construed to encourage the display of the state flag on public buildings.

3:9 State Seal. – The seal of the state shall be 2 inches in diameter, circular, with the following detail and no other: A field crossed by a straight horizon line of the sea, above the center of the field; concentric with the field the rising sun, exposed above the horizon about 1/3 of its diameter; the field encompassed with laurel; across the field for the full width within the laurel a broadside view of the frigate Raleigh, on the stocks; the ship's bow dexter and higher than the stern; the 3 lower masts shown in place, together with the fore, main and mizzen tops, shrouds and mainstays; an ensign staff at the stern flies the United States flag authorized by act of Congress June 14, 1777; a jury staff on the mainmast and another on the foremast each flies a pennant; flags and pennants are streaming to the dexter side; the hull is shown without a rudder; below the ship the field is divided into land and water by a double diagonal line whose highest point is sinister; no detail is shown anywhere on the water, nor any on the land between the water and the stocks except a granite boulder on the dexter side; encircling the field is the inscription, SEAL • OF • THE • STATE • OF • NEW HAMPSHIRE, the words separated by round periods, except between the parts of New Hampshire; at the lowest point of the inscription is the date 1776, flanked on either side by a 5-pointed star, which group separates the beginning and end of the inscription; the whole form and design to be as follows:

3:9-a Unauthorized Use Prohibited. – The state seal shall be the property of the state of New Hampshire. No person shall manufacture, sell, expose for sale, or have in possession for sale any article or substance, being an article of merchandise or receptacle of merchandise or article or been printed, painted, attached, or otherwise placed a representation or likeness of the state seal, provided, however, that upon application, the secretary of state may authorize the use of the state seal. Once such approval is given, such use shall be exempt from the provisions of this section until or unless such approval is revoked or suspended by the secretary of state.

Well known New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman supported the Iraq invasion. In 2002 he wasn’t trumpeting a visionary energy Policy. Friedman also wrote the best seller The World Is Flat about the world economic picture. Agree with him or not—Friedman is an influential voice. Today I heard the article below quoted on one of the Sunday morning (network) political shows.

What’s interesting is that Friedman and many other heavy hitters are now echoing what Carol Shea-Porter has been telling us since campaign 2004.

In short—American energy policy is a National security issue ( like Iraq) as well as an economic issue. Furthermore, developing a comprehensive and sustainable energy plan is perhaps the grandest business opportunity of the 21^st Century.

Carol Shea-Porter has the “vision thing.”  Thomas Friedman and other opinion makers are getting on board finally.

So please read Mr. Friedman’s passionate words below:

 Note: This is the last half of Mr. Friedman's column.  

My fellow Americans: We are a country in debt and in decline — not terminal, not irreversible, but in decline. Our political system seems incapable of producing long-range answers to big problems or big opportunities. We are the ones who need a better-functioning democracy — more than the Iraqis and Afghans. We are the ones in need of nation-building. It is our political system that is not working.

I continue to be appalled at the gap between what is clearly going to be the next great global industry — renewable energy and clean power — and the inability of Congress and the administration to put in place the bold policies we need to ensure that America leads that industry.

“America and its political leaders, after two decades of failing to come together to solve big problems, seem to have lost faith in their ability to do so,” Wall Street Journal columnist Gerald Seib noted last week. “A political system that expects failure doesn’t try very hard to produce anything else.”

We used to try harder and do better. After Sputnik, we came together as a nation and responded with a technology, infrastructure and education surge, notes Robert Hormats, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs International. After the 1973 oil crisis, we came together and made dramatic improvements in energy efficiency. After Social Security became imperiled in the early 1980s, we came together and fixed it for that moment. “But today,” added Hormats, “the political system seems incapable of producing a critical mass to support any kind of serious long-term reform.”

If the old saying — that “as General Motors goes, so goes America” — is true, then folks, we’re in a lot of trouble. General Motors’s stock-market value now stands at just $6.47 billion, compared with Toyota’s $162.6 billion. On top of it, G.M. shares sank to a 34-year low last week.

That’s us. We’re at a 34-year low. And digging out of this hole is what the next election has to be about and is going to be about — even if it is interrupted by a terrorist attack or an outbreak of war or peace in Iraq. We need nation-building at home, and we cannot wait another year to get started. Vote for the candidate who you think will do that best. Nothing else matters.

Today was one of those days that remind me that all the time, aggravation and heartbreak of politics is worth every ounce of effort we put into it. That’s what ran through my mind as I took my seat today in beautiful Unity NH. It’s all worth it.

To see Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes give the introductory speeches in a New Hampshire field on a Summer day makes it all worth it. When Governor Lynch spoke --it was all worth it. 

In the name of the Granite State and the United States of America--it's all worth it!

Then Jeanne Shaheen spoke to a widely enthusiastic crowd. I’ll be writing much more about her campaign. She has a ton of momentum and Democrats are loving it. The Shaheen campaign seems to be doing everything right. I'm loving it.

Finally, the introduction we were all waiting for fell to  Ken Hall, the “honorary”mayor of Unity. That was fitting—all politics is local.

What a moment for New Hampshire and the Nation. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton chose the perfect location to bring the Democratic party together. Someone—perhaps it was Hillary—mentioned that maybe there was some divine intervention afoot. I mean Barack and Hillary both received 107 votes last January in Unity. What an amazing and symbolic coincidence. How could they pass up the opportunity to return?

The crowed loved it. This event was yet another shot in the arm for New Hampshire Democrats. I’m sure everyone present made a little personal vow to work just a little harder between now and November.

We’ve come a long way from our frigid primary. The political climate has changed as much as the weather. Today sealed the deal.

So thank you to the kind folks in Unity.

Now its time for Democrats all across New Hampshire to work like we’ve never worked before to send Barack Obama to the White House.