Accused of awarding contracts based on political views. Quote: “One contract can make you wealthy!” An FBI investigation continue, it is alleged that Jackson directed large government contracts to friends.

Dallas Business Journal, March 31, 2008

Nearly two years after a Dallas Business Journal report sparked a federal investigation of U.S. Housing Secretary Alphonso Jackson, the embattled administrator is expected to resign. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has scheduled a press conference for Monday morning, according to various reports.

Jackson, former president and CEO of the Dallas Housing Authority, has fought off charges of cronyism and the politicization of HUD’s contracting processes for the last two years. The controversy was sparked by a report last May in the DBJ, which covered a speech Jackson gave in Dallas to a private group of minority real estate executives.

The secretary told the group he had canceled a contract after the contractor said he had a problem with President Bush: “Why should I reward someone who doesn’t like the president, so they can use the funds to try to campaign against the president?” Jackson said. “Logic says they don’t get the contract. That’s the way I believe.”

The secretary also told the audience “how government works. Once you get the contract,” he said, “they just keep giving you tax dollars. … The most amazing thing I’ve ever seen is the amount of contracts we give out every day. One contract can make you wealthy.”

Jackson later apologized for the remarks about the contractor and said he had lied. Responding to a flurry of complaints, the HUD Inspector General launched an investigation.

According to an internal copy of the IG’s findings, obtained by the DBJ through a Freedom of Information Act request, top aides to Jackson testified that they and other senior staff members were advised to take political leanings into consideration when awarding discretionary contracts. Click here to read more in the Dallas Business Journal.

Despite dwindling odds, the Clinton Campaign is determined to stick to the end. She vows that she will fight Barack Obama to the end. As more super-delegates and endorsements roll out, she vows to keep fighting. James Carville, her campaign advisor, bashes the Obama Campaign. Her “donors” at the request of the Clinton campaign, threaten to boycott the November election unless the nominee is anyone other than Hillary. This is how you split the party and let John McCain win. Send her an email to Hillary@HillaryClinton.com and tell her what you think!

By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer, March 28th

HAMMOND, Ind. - If Hillary Rodham Clinton is feeling heat from pundits and party elders to quit the race and back Barack Obama, you’d never know it from her crowds, energy level and upbeat demeanor on the campaign trail.

“There are millions of reasons to continue this race: people in Pennsylvania, Indiana and North Carolina, and all of the contests yet to come,” Clinton told reporters Friday. “This is a very close race and clearly I believe strongly that everyone should have their voices heard and their votes counted.”

The former first lady weathered a two-pronged blow Friday, with influential Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. endorsing Obama and another Senate colleague, Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, urging her to step aside. But to hear Clinton tell it, it was just another day in an epic primary battle whose result is still not known.

“I believe a spirited contest is good for the Democratic Party and will strengthen the eventual nominee,” she said. “We will have a united party behind whomever that nominee is. … I look forward to campaigning over the next several months.”

Traveling across Indiana, the former first lady was greeted by large, enthusiastic audiences who roared their approval at her proposals to help fix the state’s economic challenges.

At events here and in North Carolina on Thursday, Clinton raised the issue of whether she should quit the race, only to have it firmly batted down by her supporters.

“There are some people who are saying, you know, we really ought to end this primary, we just ought to shut it down,” she said in Mishawaka, Ind., drawing cries of “No, no!” inside a packed gymnasium.

But as the odds continue to get shorter and she continues to send out her attack dogs. Click here to read more about the Clintons.

Editor’s Note: Political insiders are beginning to agree the Hillary Clinton has no realistic chance of winning the nomination. Super-delegates are seen as quite unlikely to vote against the person who has won the most votes, delegates and states. Obama currently leads in pledged delegates 1,406 (53%) to 1,249 (47%) and that edge cannot be overcome with the few primaries remaining. Democrats have 794 super-delegates currently divided 250 (54%)for Hillary and 212 (46%) for Obama leaving only 332 undeclared. To win the nomination, Hillary must add ten full percentage points to her performance from 48% to 58%. This is not likely. A more realistic scenario is that they will split them roughly even. That produces the nomination of Barack Obama as Democratic candidate for President.

The Politico, March 21st

One big fact has largely been lost in the recent coverage of the Democratic presidential race: Hillary Rodham Clinton has virtually no chance of winning.

Her own campaign acknowledges there is no way that she will finish ahead in pledged delegates. That means the only way she wins is if Democratic super-delegates are ready to risk a backlash of historic proportions from the party’s most reliable constituency.

Unless Clinton is able to at least win the primary popular vote — which also would take nothing less than an electoral miracle — and use that achievement to pressure superdelegates, she has only one scenario for victory. An African-American opponent and his backers would be told that, even though he won the contest with voters, the prize is going to someone else.

People who think that scenario is even remotely likely are living on another planet.

As it happens, many people inside Clinton’s campaign live right here on Earth. One important Clinton adviser estimated to Politico privately that she has no more than a 10 percent chance of winning her race against Barack Obama, an appraisal that was echoed by other operatives.

In other words: The notion of the Democratic contest being a dramatic cliffhanger is a game of make-believe.

The real question is why so many people are playing. The answer has more to do with media psychology than with practical politics.

Journalists have become partners with the Clinton campaign in pretending that the contest is closer than it really is. Most coverage breathlessly portrays the race as a down-to-the-wire sprint between two well-matched candidates, one only slightly better situated than the other to win in August at the national convention in Denver.

One reason is fear of embarrassment. In its zeal to avoid predictive reporting of the sort that embarrassed journalists in New Hampshire, the media — including Politico — have tended to avoid zeroing in on the tough math Clinton faces.

Avoiding predictions based on polls even before voters cast their ballots is wise policy. But that’s not the same as drawing sober and well-grounded conclusions about the current state of a race after millions of voters have registered their preferences.

The antidote to last winter’s flawed predictions is not to promote a misleading narrative based on the desired but unlikely story line of one candidate.

There are other forces also working to preserve the notion of a contest that is still up for grabs.

One important, if subliminal, reason is self-interest. Reporters and editors love a close race — it’s more fun and it’s good for business. Click here to read the rest of this article in The Politico.

New York Times, Jeff Zelny, March 21st

PORTLAND, Ore. — Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico delivered a forceful endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president on Friday, urging Democrats to unite behind his candidacy to move the nation beyond its racial and partisan divide.

“It is now time for a new generation of leadership to lead America forward,” Mr. Richardson said, speaking to thousands of supporters at a rally here. “Barack Obama will be a historic and a great president, who can bring us the change we so desperately need by bringing us together as a nation here at home and with our allies abroad.”

Mr. Richardson, who sought to become the nation’s first Hispanic president, dropped out of the Democratic race in January after finishing behind Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in the opening contests of Iowa and New Hampshire. Since then, he had been aggressively courted by his former rivals, but he said Friday that he could no longer stand on the sidelines of his party’s nominating fight.

“My great affection and admiration for Senator Clinton and President Bill Clinton will never waver,” Mr. Richardson said. “It is time, however, for Democrats to stop fighting amongst ourselves and prepare for the tough fight we will have against John McCain in the fall.”

The endorsement offers a timely boost for Mr. Obama, who has weathered the most tumultuous two weeks of a 15-month campaign. He has been seeking to reassure superdelegates that his bid had not been thrown off course by a series of controversies, including inflammatory statements about the government and race in America made by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., his longtime spiritual adviser and former pastor.

Mr. Obama’s address on race, delivered in Philadelphia on Tuesday, prompted Mr. Richardson to send word to the senator that he was inspired and impressed by the speech.

“Senator Barack Obama addressed the issue of race with the eloquence and sincerity and decency and optimism we have come to expect of him,” Mr. Richardson said at the Portland rally. “He did not seek to evade tough issues or to soothe us with comforting half-truths. Rather, he inspired us by reminding us of the awesome potential residing in our own responsibility.”

He added: “Senator Obama could have given a safer speech. He is, after all, well ahead in the delegate count for our party’s nomination.”

Mr. Obama and Mr. Richardson appeared together on the stage of the Memorial Coliseum in downtown Portland on Friday morning, greeted by a booming standing ovation. Mr. Richardson was still sporting a beard, which he grew during what he called a period of decompression after abandoning his presidential bid two months ago. Click here to read more from the New York Times.

Lindsay Levin, Hillary Clinton.com, March 17th

Today at the George Washington University, in a major speech ahead of the five year anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, Hillary Clinton outlined new proposals that build on her three-part plan to end the war responsibly. Five years after the start of the war, we have come to a crossroads. The war has sapped our military and economic strength, damaged U.S. national security, taken the lives of almost 4,000 brave young men and women in uniform, and placed a lasting toll on the tens of thousands of wounded, many with invisible injuries like Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The George W. Bush-John McCain strategy is to continue this failed policy. We need to end this war and bring our troops home. We need to press the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own country. We need to rebuild our alliances and enlist the international community in securing stability in Iraq and the region.

We need a Commander-in-Chief who is both committed to ending this war and who has the strength, experience, and leadership to do it the right way. Hillary Clinton is that candidate. As President, she will:I. Start Bringing Our Troops Home

Bring Our Troops Home. As President, one of Hillary’s first official actions will be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National Security Council. She will direct them to draw up a clear, comprehensive plan for withdrawal that starts removing our troops within 60 days. The plan for withdrawal will incorporate the most effective on-the-ground strategies and tactics to move personnel and equipment efficiently out of combat zones and then out of the country, and will focus on protecting our troops and reducing the risk of attacks as they come home

Protecting Those Who Protect Us. As President, Hillary will ensure that our troops receive sufficient time at home between deployments to rest, reconnect with their families, and receive appropriate training for their next mission.

• Reduce Strains on Our Troops. The war is placing tremendous strain on our armed forces, courting strategic risks posed by a force that is stretched to the breaking point. As President, Hillary will adopt the recommendations of Rep. John Murtha to ensure that our Army troops have as much time at home as they have spent deployed. So for every month they spend in the field, they will be guaranteed one month here at home. Our Marines will have a similar standard appropriate for their service in the Corps. As President, Hillary will also require that the Secretary of Defense certify to the Congress full combat-brigade readiness before they are deployed.

• Assess Impact of Iraq Deployments on Readiness. In the Senate, Hillary won approval of measures to provide greater transparency about the strains on our armed forces, particularly in light of deployments in Iraq. Her amendment to the 2008 Defense Authorization Act requires the Government Accountability Office to assess the ability of ground forces to meet the requirements of increased force levels in Iraq and Afghanistan and to identify and evaluate strategic and operational risks. As President, she will direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a readiness strategy that responds to the findings of these assessments.

Remove Armed Private Military Contractors in Iraq. As U.S. troops begin to withdraw, we should not be leaving unaccountable, often irresponsible private military contractors to carry arms and engage in combat-oriented missions and security functions. Hillary has co-sponsored the Stop Security Outsourcing Act, which seeks to end this practice. As President, Hillary will work toward a ban on armed private military contractors providing security for diplomatic personnel and performing mission-critical functions.

Stop Wasting Money on No-Bid Contracts. Spending on federal contracts has been the fasting-growing part of the discretionary budget over the past six years, yet has received little attention. Under this Administration, the number of no-bid contracts has more than doubled, and between 2000 and 2006, spending on these contracts has increased 121 percent to $103 billion, representing more than half of federal procurement spending. During this time, companies like Halliburton have enjoyed record profits, thanks to a 700 percent increase in taxpayer funds awarded to them. A recent Congressional report identified a wide range of contracts, running into the hundreds of billions of dollars, where federal auditors found massive overcharges, wasteful spending, and poor oversight. Hillary has proposed a measure that would create a new “point of order” against any spending bill in Fiscal 2009 that does not explicitly require a federal agency’s compliance with competitive contracting rules. As President, Hillary will work to ensure that this becomes law and that we stop wasting money on no-bid contracts.  Click here to read more of this story at HillaryClinton.com.

Obviously the Slime Machines are getting ready for the Fall Elections! The violations were committed by “contractors” from Stanley Inc.  Does anyone work for the government any more?

Washington Post, March 21st, 2008

The State Department said today that four employees examined the passport files of three presidential candidates without authorization, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promised a full investigation into what she called a disturbing breach of privacy.

Rice told reporters this morning that she has apologized to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for the unauthorized viewing of his passport file by three State Department contract employees. The breach, disclosed last night, prompted the department to fire two of the employees.

Investigators found that one of the contract employees who viewed Obama’s file had also looked into the passport file of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) without authorization earlier this year, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. That person has been “disciplined” and no longer has access to passport records but has not been fired, he said.

“We are reviewing our options with respect to that individual’s continued employment with the department,” he said.

A fourth person, a State Department trainee in the passport office, called up the file of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) during a training session last summer and was “immediately admonished,” McCormack said. Click here to read more in the Washington Post.

Newsmax.com March 20st, 2008

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Barack Obama blamed the Iraq war for higher oil prices and skyrocketing debt Thursday as hesought to tie the unpopular war to the slumping economy in working-class West Virginia.

The Democratic hopeful is trying to cut into Hillary Clinton’s base in West Virginia. The state’s demographics appear to favor Clinton, whose support is strongest among older white voters and blue-collar workers.

“When you’re spending over $50 to fill up your car because the price of oil is four times what it was before Iraq, you’re paying a price for this war,” Obama said. “When Iraq is costing each household about $100 a month, you’re paying a price for this war.”

By linking the economy to the war, Obama is playing to his perceived strength as someone who spoke out against the war as a state lawmaker in Illinois. He has criticized Clinton for only recently opposing the war and said Thursday that her criticism of Republican John McCain’s war policies lacks teeth.

“Her point would have been more compelling had she not joined Senator McCain in making the tragically ill-considered decision to vote for the Iraq war in the first place,” Obama said to cheers.

It was the third consecutive day that Obama set aside his usual stump speech and delivered a more focused issue speech. He discussed race relations on Tuesday and the foreign policy consequences of the Iraq war Wednesday.

Obama has won more states than Clinton, leads in the popular vote and holds a nearly insurmountable lead in pledged delegates. But neither candidate can clinch the nomination without help from superdelegates, the party leaders who are not bound by any primary or caucus and are free to vote for whomever they choose. Clinton hopes a strong finish in the remaining primaries will persuade superdelegates to back her in a close race despite the delegate shortfall.  Click here to read more at Newsmax.com.

Independent observers say Democrats will pick up 10 to 20 seats in House and 6 new seats in the Senate. Meanwhile Republicans are retiring as the GOP struggles under damage done by George, Iraq and the Economy. Money advantages are still heavily favoring Democrats by about 3:1! Lastly, the Republicans accuse their Party Treasurer of stealing up to a $1 million in political funds. Do you see a pattern here? Rick Renzi, Dean Martin (AZ Treasurer) and Chris Ward, who is accused of taking up to a million dollars. Wow just when things were calming down!

Arizona Star, March 21st 2008

WASHINGTON — The news just keeps getting worse for Republicans in this year’s campaigns for Congress.

When New York Rep. Tom Reynolds announced he was retiring Thursday, that made it 26 current GOP lawmakers who are calling it quits, opening up chances for Democrats in November. Only seven seats are being given up by the Democrats, who see bright opportunities to fatten their majority in the House — and the Senate as well.

That doesn’t even count this month’s shocker in Illinois, where Democrat Bill Foster won a special election in the district long represented by Republican former Speaker Dennis Hastert. Democrats say Foster’s win to replace the retiring Hastert is a sign of things to come in the general election, when all House seats are on the line.

Things are not much better for the GOP on the Senate side, where Democrats feel confident of picking up retiring Republican John Warner’s seat in Virginia and are campaigning hard for GOP seats being vacated in Colorado and New Mexico. Republicans have failed to recruit top-tier candidates to challenge Democratic senators in GOP-leaning Montana, South Dakota and Arkansas.

The Democrats’ current Senate margin effectively is 51-49, including two independents who align themselves with the Democratic Party.

Money is pouring into the party’s coffers, and some are talking about making a serious run for as many as 50 House seats now held by Republicans. That’s an astounding number, considering most incumbents usually coast to re-election.

Less-partisan analysts suggest a Democratic pickup of 10 to 20 seats. The current House breakdown: Democrats 233 seats, Republicans 198, four vacant.

Foster’s win in Hastert’s old district “sent a political shock wave across the country,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Republicans called it an isolated contest, but Van Hollen said that “the ingredients that helped Foster are elsewhere” in competitive races throughout the nation.

They include “a great discontent with the Bush administration’s economic policies and the war in Iraq, and the connection between the two,” Van Hollen said. He said Democrats will tie all Republican candidates to President Bush and will argue that GOP presidential candidate John McCain solidly backs Bush policies on the war and the economy.

Campaign Committee spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said Republicans now hold 40 districts that have “a better Democratic performance” record, based on recent elections, than does the Illinois district won by Foster.

Five days after his victory, in another blow to the GOP, the Republican committee that raises money and recruits candidates for House races announced that a former treasurer may have stolen almost $1 million and falsified records over several years. The FBI is investigating.

Then Reynolds announced Thursday that he will not seek a sixth term in his western New York district. Reynolds, 57, chaired the House GOP’s election efforts in 2004 and 2006.

Campaign money, usually a Republican strong suit, is flowing to the Democrats this season. In the most recent reports, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had $34 million on hand, compared with $4 million for its GOP counterpart, the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Republicans insist matters are not so dire. Nearly all the GOP-held House seats that Democrats are targeting are in Republican-leaning districts.

It seems certain that “Regan Republicans” are shocked at this one!

By: Larry Kudlow, Economist, and CNBC Talk Host

February 1st, 2008

Is Volcker Obama’s Robert Rubin?

This is an unbelievable story. Former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker — Mr. Hard Money, anti-deficit, sound financial himself — has endorsed Senator Obama for President.

Here’s Volcker’s statement (courtesy of the Wall Street Journal):

“After 30 years in government, serving under five Presidents of both parties and chairing two non-partisan commissions on the Public Service, I have been reluctant to engage in political campaigns. The time has come to overcome that reluctance. However, it is not the current turmoil in markets or the economic uncertainties that have impelled my decision. Rather, it is the breadth and depth of challenges that face our nation at home and abroad. Those challenges demand a new leadership and a fresh approach.

It is only Barack Obama, in his person, in his ideas, in his ability to understand and to articulate both our needs and our hopes that provide the potential for strong and fresh leadership. That leadership must begin here in America but it can also restore needed confidence in our vision, our strength, and our purposes right around the world.”

This is a big deal.

Once upon a time, many years ago, I was a Volcker speechwriter at the New York Fed. He’s a great American. He’s a classic conservative. He’s a man of fiscal and monetary rectitude. While he was originally appointed Fed Chair by Jimmy Carter, Volcker ultimately teamed up with Ronald Reagan to put the kibosh on runaway inflation. He would not have made this endorsement on a whim. Believe me. He never gets involved in these kinds of political decisions.

Is Paul Volcker the new Robert Rubin? Is it possible that Mr. Volcker is somehow tutoring Obama? Is it possible that Obama is more financially conservative than originally believed?

Meanwhile, according to all the latest polling data, Obama is surging ahead with a full head of steam on Hillary. So we’re talking about a possible President here. This is a stock market story. It’s a bond market story. All for the very simple reason that we could be looking at the next President of the United States. Click here to read the original story.

Democrats Who Want A Quicker Resolution of Nomination Mess Are Pleased 

Associated Press, March 17th

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Facing strong opposition, Florida Democrats on Monday abandoned plans to hold a do-over presidential primary with a mail-in vote and threw the delegate dispute into the lap of the national party.

While the decision by Florida Democrats left the state’s 210 delegates in limbo, Democrats in Michigan moved closer to holding another contest on June 3. Legislative leaders reviewed a measure Monday that would set up a privately funded, state-administered do-over primary, The Associated Press learned.

In Florida, a frustrated Democratic Party chairwoman Karen L. Thurman sent a letter announcing the decision.

“A party-run primary or caucus has been ruled out, and it’s simply not possible for the state to hold another election, even if the party were to pay for it,” Thurman said. “… This doesn’t mean that Democrats are giving up on Florida voters. It means that a solution will have to come from the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee, which is scheduled to meet again in April.”

Members of Florida’s congressional delegation unanimously opposed the plan, and Barack Obama expressed concern about the security of a mail-in vote organized so quickly.

The national party punished Michigan and Florida for moving up their primaries before Feb. 5, stripping them of all their delegates to the party’s national convention this summer in Denver. All the Democratic candidates agreed not to campaign in the two states, and Obama was not even on the Michigan ballot.  Click here to read more in the Washington Post.

Editor’s Comment: Many Democrats are concerned that if the Party waits until the August Convention to sort out the mess and the race continues its contentious pace, it will be too late for Democrats to reconcile and get behind one candidate.  Such a split could cost us the election.  For our part, we say, get this sorted out now!  Waiting to June or later for more primaries is foolish.  The two candidates are very unlikely to resolve the issue through additional primaries.  {There are not enough available delegates to change the outcome.}  The nomination appears certain to be decided by a vote of the “Super-delegates.”  Our feeling is: Let’s get to it; we cannot allow the Republicans the space to move ahead unchallenged.