Democracy was the topic of remarks by former U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice at the Hoover Institution May 2009 retreat dinner on May 26.

Policy and presidential Campaigns

Neel Kashkari, a moderate Republican who ran the bailout of financial institutions under the Bush and Obama administrations, jumped into his first-ever political race Tuesday - this year's contest to challenge Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown. Two years later, he was named to oversee the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the federal effort to prevent a meltdown of the financial system by bailing out banks and other financial companies. '$700 billion man'Kashkari, nicknamed "the $700 billion man" on Wall Street, stayed in his assistant Treasury secretary's job during the first five months of the Obama administration before returning to the private sector with the investment firm Pimco. For the past year, he has been laying the groundwork for a gubernatorial campaign, visiting low-income schools, staying overnight in an Oakland homeless shelter and consulting with Republicans such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Swipe at rail planKashkari has said that he will focus on jobs and education during the coming campaign and will generally steer clear of divisive social issues that have become a challenge for GOP candidates in solidly blue California. Kashkari is outside the mainstream of current Republican politics - he favors both a woman's access to abortion and same-sex marriage rights - leading some analysts to speculate that he could inject life into a party that trails Democrats in statewide voter registration by double digits.

California’s gubernatorial recall election hasn’t yet materialized—much less been certified or scheduled for a vote—and we already have a casualty: Chamath Palihapitiya, a Silicon Valley billionaire who has sunk $100,000 into the effort to force a referendum on California governor Gavin Newson and who reportedly has flirted with the idea of throwing his hat in the ring, only to inform a podcast audience last week that his heart (and his business sense) just wasn’t in it.

The presidential election, state department outlook, and global upheaval were discussed at Board of Overseers meeting.

History shows that the Trump phenomenon is business-as-usual in a democracy––and as dangerous.

The Honorable John Howard, former Australian prime minister, offered before–dinner remarks at the Hoover Institution’s April 2009 Spring Retreat on Sunday, April 26.

Traditional health care neglects the working poor. A church-based clinic steps in

Former independent counsel Kenneth Starr reflects on the lessons to be learned from his investigation of the president.