How about loosing the contract by the unnecessary and unprofessional comments as stated above. Not only was a comment like this unnecessary in the context, but it is an interesting reflection of the person if he feels the need to say this in the context.
Would you hire someone who comes to an interview and they choose to make the topic an unrelated rant about the President? I don't care if it were Clinton or Bush, I wouldn't hire someone with that little judgment.
Although the article isn't all the clear, I don't think there was ever a contract to lose. Selecting the contractor is only the first step in process. There is no contract until the the written agreement is actually signed by both parties. In fact, almost every Federal contract that I have ever reviewed contains a clause that says something like "this contract shall not be binding upon either party until signed by the contracting officer for the governing agency."
Bingo, keep politics out of it.
Why would you even say such a thing??????
Agreed. I suspect most vendors could count on not getting a contract if they started negotiations with "I hate your CEO".
He lost the contract because he was a idiot.
Playing this out like it was some kind of freedom of speech angle is also completely stupid.