The LA Times reports on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's growing grassroots initiative, Friends of the U.S. Chamber, which "has begun to rival those of the major political parties, funded by record-setting amounts of money raised from corporations and wealthy individuals."

"The chamber has signed up some 6 million individuals who are not chamber members and has begun asking them to help with lobbying and, soon, with get-out-the-vote efforts in upcoming congressional campaigns."

According to the article, the group's successful fundraising can be attributed to the administration's legislative initiatives and the recent Supreme Court ruling that corporations may now directly advocate for the election of candidates for federal office. "Industries that are the most directly affected by Washington policies and regulations -- pharmaceuticals, for example -- have always spent lavishly on lobbying and politics. But many others have held back, deterred by concern over violating the complex laws on campaign spending and by a general sense that putting money into politics might open companies to criticism."

As predicted, corporations will increasingly contribute money to the chamber, which then produce ads targeting candidates without disclosing the identity of the donors. Inevitably, the article suggests this system "suggests a rocky road for legislation to require more transparency."