'Contracts for Political Donations?'

This flawed Administration now wants companies bidding on Government contracts to list their political contributions. It is not in place yet, but they are looking to find out how to require the information. If this becomes part of contracting law, then any company's political contributions will be looked at as part of the Source Selection process. Does that include the Union PACs as well?  Could political contributions be used as the determining factor on who gets the award by putting a checkmark beside Democrat contributions and nothing beside Reublican contributions?  Sure sounds like that is the purpose -- this is not transparency but using coercion to get companies to make more donations to Obama and the Democrats in order to get a Government contract.

This should send a chill up every one's spine that in the future a government contract could be awarded based on if you gave to Obama and the Democrats. Might as well put out a sign that says 'No Republican companies need apply.'

What does requiring a company to list their political contributions have to do with the transparency that Obama promised. Zero, zip, nada. You award a contract based on who has the best proposal including costs not on which party or candidate they contributed. Obama and his cronies have sunk to a new low just like everything else they have touched. The logical question would be, "Is Obama hurting for campaign contributions?" Why else would they want such a rider on procurement proposals?

This last paragraph from the article speaks volumes:

Letting contracts be rewarded on the basis of government reviewers' opinions of companies' political activities doesn't sound much like what most Americans presumably think of when they hear talk of ensuring that the government be open and transparent. To the contrary, this sounds like another step in making this the most transparently political administration in history.

As someone who has been around Government contracting from both sides for most of my adult life, I find this latest ploy on the part of Obama and his Administration so blatantly political that I cannot foresee this becoming part of Procurement Law. If the political hacks in this Administration want to know who companies donated, look it up on like the rest of us.  Are their no adults left in the White House?

The Most Transparently Political Administration in History?Obama administration to make government contracts political.
2:46 PM, Apr 21, 2011 • By JEFFREY H. ANDERSON

Under a headline reading, "White House may add politics to contract bids," Washington Technology Daily reports, "The Obama administration is determining how to require companies competing for government contracts to list their political contributions when submitting a contract bid." According to the report, the administration's draft executive order says, "To increase transparency and accountability to ensure an efficient and economical procurement process, every contracting department and agency shall require all entities submitting offers for federal contracts to disclose certain political contributions and expenditures that they have made within the two years prior to the submission of their offer." (The Washington Post’s report on this story is here.)

Far from promoting "transparency," however, the order's effect—and its aim—would seem to be to promote further political cronyism. Would contributions to Republicans—or, say, to groups opposing Obamacare—help a company get a contract awarded to it by this administration? Conversely, how about contributions to the administration’s favorite social causes?

Letting contracts be rewarded on the basis of government reviewers' opinions of companies' political activities doesn't sound much like what most Americans presumably think of when they hear talk of ensuring that the government be open and transparent. To the contrary, this sounds like another step in making this the most transparently political administration in history.

Source: Weekly Standard

Time for the Congress to step in to stop this from happening.  Will be interesting to hear what some of our Senators like Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn have to say.  You might as well call this latest from the Obama Administration by its rightful name -- 'Contracts for Political Donations.'