On Monday, I was invited to eat lunch with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Alphonso Jackson. Although this was an intimate lunch with only five people present, this was not a private lunch. Jackson is an alumnus of my school, Truman State University, and wanted to meet with current Truman State students who were interning in DC. Upon arriving at his spacious office, he boasted that he has the "best view" of all the cabinet members. We took photos and quickly left his office and settled down to a catered lunch in an adjoining room. Our place setting had three forks. I only needed one, so I eyed what the other Truman State interns did with the superfluous forks and used the one on the outside.

Secretary Jackson immediately embarked on a long diatribe about the most important lesson we should learn while interning in DC. The lesson: It's not about what you know, but about "who you know." He told us to keep up our relationships with fellow interns because one day one of them might be an influential businessman, lawmaker or even President! But I wondered: what about skill, talent and ability? Do these factors matter or is it just about who you know?

These discussions led to a conversation about how Secretary Jackson became the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Jackson explained his long journey from his ambitions to be a superintendent of a school district to leading HUD. His biography was quickly told and punctuated only by his admission of an ever-increasing salary throughout the 80's and 90's. Several times he digressed and reminisced about "rolling in dough" when he worked for an energy company in the mid-90's. Where I come from salaries (money in general) are not considered polite conversation, but Secretary Jackson didn't share these qualms and instead expressed his enormous pride in his gigantic bank account. It was then when I was reminded of the context of this conversation. This is HUD right? Where our government promises to house the poor? Jackson's boastful admissions about salary and self-worth spoke volumes about his disconnect with the working class and working poor that depend on the services his department offers.

After a half-hour discussion of his salary and the development of his close, personal relationship with President George W. Bush, I asked the Secretary what was his favorite part of his job. I expected a canned answer about "bettering people's lives," but instead, Secretary Jackson said that his favorite part of the job was "going to Camp David." I laughed awkwardly and asked what else he liked about being Secretary. He then said, "Flying on Air Force One - you can order anything on that plane!" He wasn't kidding. Jackson never spoke about impacting people's lives and making America a better place to live. At this point I felt the need to identify myself as the National Political Affairs Director for the College Democrats of America and as a young, gay progressive. When I made this admission the Secretary's body language changed, his eyes got a little bigger. I did not share the same political leanings as the RNC intern or the Heritage Foundation intern that were also sitting at the dining table. I asked the Secretary about extending protections against discrimination against Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender tenants in the Fair Housing Act, but he stated he "didn't make policy."

I really was naive. Here I was thinking that my work made a difference and in comes Secretary Jackson to explain the real ways of Washington. I then asked the Secretary what his greatest achievement was this year. He remarked that it was "not having a scandal." He added that historically HUD has had a lot of scandals. Is that a great achievement? In the America of Tom Delay, Bob Ney, Jack Abramoff and Mark Foley, maybe "not having a scandal" is a success for Republicans in power.

But, Secretary Jackson wasn't done. The five of us (four Truman State Interns and the Secretary) began discussing politics and the upcoming presidential election. Jackson exclaimed that, "if the Communist Party still existed, [Barack] Obama would be a Communist."

Secretary Jackson then argued that it was Democrats in New Orleans who failed their citizens during Hurricane Katrina, not the federal government. He said that the federal government was prepared to go in much earlier, but Louisiana Democrats blocked their efforts. Secretary Jackson continued to say that the Lower Ninth Ward wasn't their fault, but the fault of 30 years of "incompetent" leadership from African-American elected officials in New Orleans. He stressed that the African-American community should see themselves as individuals, not a "class," and went so far as to say that African-Americans are "doctrinated" (his word, not mine) to vote Democratic.

Secretary Jackson believes in a politics that glorifies "who you know," not what you believe, how talented you are, or your commitment to this country. It's hard to remain optimistic or hopeful about government when political appointees are the result of a modern day spoils system. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development should be a household name. His or her impact should be profound, or at least noteworthy. States throughout our country are still seething from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. The housing market is shaky at best and the rise in home foreclosures is troubling. In such a crucial time, don't we deserve public servants less interested in catered meals and presidential hideaways and more concerned with housing Americans and healing the racial and economic wounds of Hurricane Katrina?
But hey, maybe I'm just naïve.

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