[Guest post by DRJ]
President Obama promised the most transparent Administration ever and he’s delivered on that promise in the past week. First he held a televised health care summit and now he’s handing out federal judgeships as favors for voting for his health care reform. It’s not pretty but it’s transparent.
How’s that for change, Obama voters?
H/T Instapundit.
— DRJ
Pronounced "Patter-EE-koh"
E-mail: Just use my moniker Patterico, followed by the @ symbol, followed by gmail.com
Disclaimer: Simpsons avatar may resemble a younger Patterico...
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This is typical “Chicago Politics”, but it creates a HUGE problem for Cong. Matheson.
Utah has two GOP Senators. The “blue slip” tradition in the Senate, which both parties have respected, is that no judicial nomination will be set for hearing and move out of the Judiciary Committee until both home state Senators have returned the “blue slip” to the Chairman of the Judiciary Comm.
Matheson voted “No” on the House bill back in Nov. If he votes “Yes” now, it’ll look like and be reported that his vote was “bought” by the WH. In addition, it might so anger the Utah GOP Senators — Orin Hatch and Robert Bennett — that they kill the nomination by not returning the “blue slip.”
On the other hand, Matheson may look at this and say “If I vote “No” again, the WH might send a message to the Senate Jud. Comm. that they don’t really want the nomination to move.”
Maybe they tell him that is not the case, but how does he know before he votes that they won’t do that?
So, while they might have thought they were providing an incentive to get Matheson’s vote, the fact is they have painted Matheson into a corner given the way the Senate works.
I would have been irate last night at the WH dinner if I were in his position and they did what they did.
Shipwreckedcrew (96a8a6) — 3/4/2010 @ 4:43 pm“Sure, he’s a Stanford alum, Rhodes scholar, Yale Law School graduate, Harvard profesor, U.S. Attorney, and law school dean,” Jonathan Chait of the New Republic writes. “Maybe that makes him ‘qualified’ by the rock-bottom standards of this administration, even if he’s no Harriet Miers.”
Frank (477351) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:07 pmI’m sure he is qualified. That’s not the issue. Lots of people are qualified.
This is one of those few instances where I’d respond to opponents of an investigation — “If you’re so sure there was nothing going on behind the scenes, why are you worried about an investigation.”
wt (796386) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:11 pmFrank — sure, he’s all those things and he’s highly qualified to be on the 10th Circuit.
And he could have been nominated months ago, or months from now, and none of this would have been an issue.
But the WH MADE IT a political issue by their decision to announce the nomination now.
Shipwreckedcrew (96a8a6) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:19 pmBoy that’s some rock solid evidence..Ann Althouse has.
imdw (8f8ead) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:27 pmBoy, that’s some rock solid stupidity from you. Again.
Old Coot (9e58d8) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:29 pmBut the WH MADE IT a political issue by their decision to announce the nomination now.
That is the point.
They have made it clear that they are buying.
Now ever member can come get some.
highpockets (bf1ea2) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:30 pmTransparent, yes, (and I’d mentioned this on another of Patterico’s threads yesterday afternoon) but some of what is alleged to have been done may run afoul of the law: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/04/jobs-for-political-dropouts/
GeneralMalaise (2e0f70) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:39 pmI agree with highpockets – Obama was sending a message to Congress that the he is willing and able to openly buy votes in multiple ways now and in the future and that the line starts over there. He isn’t going to be bothered by any negative press from Fox and the Right on this issue – he’s got legislation to deliver come he** or high water.
Obama was willing to screw Matheson to get his message out. And, by the way – expect a dead fish delivered to your home if you oppose the President. Like a Mafia Don, you don’t want to get in his way.
I wonder if Harry Reid has a couple broken ribs from the elbowing aside he just took.
in_awe (44fed5) — 3/4/2010 @ 5:45 pmOh my! This is so much worse than the story that politico broke about fear-mongering and the GOP? I guess we can talk about this instead. Yawn. Wake me up when you guys aren’t completely and totally blind with partisan hackery.
Intelliology (00d844) — 3/4/2010 @ 6:35 pmHow’s that for change, Obama voters?
–Sounds a lot like abuse of power to me – what they USED to impeach presidents for……
DaveinPhoenix (91be24) — 3/4/2010 @ 6:38 pmBe glad to talk about it at your own blog on the thread where you post your insights on that topic. Link please. Thanks in advance, and I’ll be right over once you share that.
Stashiu3 (44da70) — 3/4/2010 @ 6:39 pmwhat they USED to impeach presidents for……
Only if the have an “R” after their name, and Hillary’s a staff lawyer at the House Judiciary Cmte.
AD - RtR/OS! (f85527) — 3/4/2010 @ 6:44 pmDemocrats whine about how crooked the Bush administration was for eight years, and they never tried anything as crude as this. In fact, they never were shown to be crooked at all.
Obama the Cheap Empty Suit(tm).
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/4/2010 @ 6:45 pmBut…But… Buuuussssshhh Lied! Joe Wilson proved it.
AD - RtR/OS! (f85527) — 3/4/2010 @ 6:48 pmSo, I guess now you all can kinda understand why Blago didn’t see anything wrong with selling the Obama senate seat. In Illinois that’s how they roll. You give a little, you take a little—-.
elissa (86df93) — 3/4/2010 @ 6:48 pmFWIW, the PowerLine guys think the judicial nominee is exactly like what they would expect from Obama, and are willing to not make a fuss over this. Besides, there are enough other things to fuss about.
Obama and his ilk may want to remember that people like Michael Medved and David Horowitz were once firmly on the liberal side of life, until the hypocrisy and power grabs became so obvious they woke up. Perhaps there will be enough intellectually honest Dems who are paying attention that will get fed up with these folk’
It wouldn’t be the first time that the public at large “betrayed” the radical vision of the future.
MD in Philly (70a1ba) — 3/4/2010 @ 7:00 pm15.But…But… Buuuussssshhh Lied! Joe Wilson proved it. Comment by AD – RtR/OS!
I wonder if anyone has made a shirt that has Wilson on it with his quote, and maybe a comment like, “I’m with Joe” or something like that. I bet it would sell big in lots of venues.
MD in Philly (70a1ba) — 3/4/2010 @ 7:04 pmMaybe Harriet Meyers isn’t the best example to bring up to prove the point.
… Because, Scott Matheson seems qualified for the job and probably would have received approval for the appointment at any time, anyway. Gibbs even said S. Matheson has the support of Orrin Hatch.
Yet, the White House has put his brother, Jim, the Congressman from Utah, in a very difficult position.
You can say it’s only a difficult position because the GOP is making it so. But why do it at all at this point in time to give the GOP an opportunity to make it an issue?
I don’t think it’s a case of “buying” support. It may be more of a case of helping a friend understand the importance of playing along “because it would be terrible if something happened to your little shop.”
Ag80 (f67beb) — 3/4/2010 @ 9:15 pm“Obama and his ilk may want to remember that people like Michael Medved and David Horowitz were once firmly on the liberal side of life, until the hypocrisy and power grabs became so obvious they woke up. Perhaps there will be enough intellectually honest Dems who are paying attention that will get fed up with these folk’”
You’ve got problems if David Horowitz is your barometer.
imdw (490521) — 3/4/2010 @ 10:08 pmimdw:
It can’t be easy being raised by Communists. Who knows how that spawn may turn out.
Ag80 (f67beb) — 3/4/2010 @ 10:21 pmAg80, its imdw’s usual troll act of pretending not to get the point.
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/4/2010 @ 11:11 pmAs to being raised by Communists:
AD - RtR/OS! (f85527) — 3/4/2010 @ 11:49 pmWe can only hope that the Obama girls turn out as well as Horowitz did.
One of the things that I find hilarious about the Obama acolyte spin is that they don’t think through the implications of their vapid talking points.
Assume that indeed, the White House did not even realize that there was any linkage between Matheson and his brother …
That means that the White House is just as incompetently run as I’ve been saying.
So if Obama should not be impeached over this, then Rahm needs to be fired.
SPQR (26be8b) — 3/5/2010 @ 12:18 amThe question is: Venality or Incompetence?
The answer is: Yes!
AD - RtR/OS! (f85527) — 3/5/2010 @ 12:46 amHubris. Arrogance. Narcissism. As long as so many people continue to fawn him; as long as his inner circle insulates him; as long as the press continue to look the other way; he’ll continue to act accordingly. How else can you explain holding a televised conference where he moderates by talking for a full third of the time? What a great listener his isn’t.
Corwin (ea9428) — 3/5/2010 @ 5:21 am“You’ve got problems if David Horowitz is your barometer.”
Comment by imdw
David Horowitz is another individual who scares the bejeesus out of the left. He knows their secrets and he knows their history because he was smack dab in the middle of it.
GeneralMalaise (2e0f70) — 3/5/2010 @ 7:28 amObama – Phoney…
Cavuto
The Snooper Report (f4fcc3) — 3/5/2010 @ 9:59 pm…
“David Horowitz is another individual who scares the bejeesus out of the left. He knows their secrets and he knows their history because he was smack dab in the middle of it.”
Yeah have you seen his awesome ‘discover the networks’ site? Secrets! exposed!
imdw (1635c7) — 3/6/2010 @ 5:32 amI’m not sure that this is not just stupidity by Obama. He is not the sharpest tool in the shed. He may know some philosophy but he doesn’t seem to have any common sense and he is a hell of a lot less knowledgeable than his people think. Get him outside of politics, and he thinks Austrians speak Austrian.
As to being well qualified, so was Miguel Estrada. He just didn’t know the right people. “Who sent ya?” as they say in Chicago.
Mike K (addb13) — 3/6/2010 @ 5:50 amTo hold to typical liberal positions, one must avoid logical evaluation of consequences.
Once you’re in that mode, all you see is what you want to see, or hear what you want to hear.
Get him outside of politics, and he thinks Austrians speak Austrian
Even in politics, it was 57 states he was visiting while campaigning…
MD in Philly (70a1ba) — 3/6/2010 @ 6:11 am“Even in politics, it was 57 states he was visiting while campaigning…”
You know it was interesting. I read so many right wing blogs talking about this before I got to an actual contextualization of the gaffe.
imdw (688568) — 3/6/2010 @ 6:24 am