What a pinhead. According to this story, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson took away a government contract from a business, all because the business owner mentioned that he didn’t like Bush.
How do we know this happened? Because Jackson himself bragged about it. In fact, he told the story as a warning to a conference of other potential government contractors:
After discussing the huge strides the agency has made in doing business with minority-owned companies, Jackson closed with a cautionary tale, relaying a conversation he had with a prospective advertising contractor.
"He had made every effort to get a contract with HUD for 10 years," Jackson said of the prospective contractor. "He made a heck of a proposal and was on the (General Services Administration) list, so we selected him. He came to see me and thank me for selecting him. Then he said something … he said, ‘I have a problem with your president.’
"I said, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘I don’t like President Bush.’ I thought to myself, ‘Brother, you have a disconnect — the president is elected, I was selected. You wouldn’t be getting the contract unless I was sitting here. If you have a problem with the president, don’t tell the secretary.’
"He didn’t get the contract," Jackson continued. "Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use funds to try to campaign against the president? Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe."
Yup. You can jump the administrative hoops and come up with a "heck of a proposal", but it can be taken away from you merely because of your political views.
Only in Bush’s America.
What’s next? Will federal college aid be denied to Democrats? After all (according to Jackson’s logic), why should they be rewarded with money if they’re only going to go to university and become educated Bush-hating libs?
UPDATE: Think Progress notes:
Jackson’s conduct appears to be in violation of federal law. From the Federal Acquisition Regulations, 48 CFR 3.101-1:
Government business shall be conducted in a manner above reproach and, except as authorized by statute or regulation, with complete impartiality and with preferential treatment for none. Transactions relating to the expenditure of public funds require the highest degree of public trust and an impeccable standard of conduct.
Jackson has admitted that this particular contract was not awarded with “impartiality.” The business that would have been awarded the contract was excluded because of the contractor’s political views.
The Competition in Contracting Act (41 U.S.C. 253(b)(1)) details the six circumstances in which a particular contractor can be excluded. Needless to say, political views are not on the list.
LATE UPDATE: Jackson’s excuse? "I lied". He says he was doing it to illustrate a point. Hmmm. The clear point, to any reasonable listener, was that if you don’t like Bush, you won’t get a government contract. Even if it didn’t actually happen, it’s still a disgraceful position to adopt. Although, as Think Progress notes, it probably did happen.