Timing Is Everything PDF Print E-mail
Written by LL   
Thursday, 04 March 2010 20:29

Yesterday, President Barack Obama appointed Scott Matheson Jr to fill an open seat in the 10th Circuit Appellate Court.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday named Utahn Scott Matheson Jr. to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, elevating the former law school dean and son of a two-term governor to the appeals court covering Utah and five other states.

If confirmed by the Senate, Matheson, 56, a former U.S. attorney for Utah, would take the seat vacated by another Utahn, Michael McConnell, who resigned to teach at Stanford University.

Now I don't think ANYONE can argue Matheson's qualification as it certainly appears that he is eminently qualified for the seat.  What can and IS being argued today is the TIMING of said appointment.  For the announcement of said appointment came mere hours before President Obama hosted Matheson's brother Rep. Jim Matheson, whom President Obama desperately needs to vote FOR the President's health care reform bill in the House.

It did not take long for the right-o-sphere to erupt.  The Weekly Standard trumpeted the headline "Obama Now Selling Judgeships for Health Care Votes?".  Twitter was aflutter with links to the Weekly Standard article.  Normally reserved Allahpundit wondered "What’s next? Televising the bribes he’s been making to inconvenient Democratic primary challengers?". Talk radio was abuzz and already calls for Congressional investigations are being raised.

In light of Ben "the Cornhusker Kickback" Nelson and Mary "Louisiana Purchase" Landrieu, the electorate is not going to see this as a qualified candidate getting a well deserved appointment.  They are going to see this in the worst light possible - that this is an overt attempt to bribe Jim Matheson to vote for this bill.  Whether he realizes it or not, President Obama just threw Jim Matheson under the bus. For whether he votes for Obama Care or not, the perception of impropriety is already there.  Nothing Congressman Matheson says or does will remove the taint.  The 2nd District is very, very moderate.  The conservatives and moderates in the district will likely take issue with this perceived attempt to bribe their Congressman to vote in a way that does not represent them.  Those on the left side of the aisle will use this as just one more reason to oppose Congressman Matheson as well.  Their perception of him is that he is only out for himself and voting for the health care "reform" bill after this appointment will just cement that perception in their minds.  Either way, Jim Matheson loses.....

I have to agree with normally hyperbolic Michelle Malkin when she wonders....

Is the White House so fantastically blind and tone-deaf that it failed to detect the blood-red flags and blaring alarm bells that Scott Matheson’s judicial nomination would raise coming on the very day President Obama is wooing his brother, Jim?

...for there is absolutely NOTHING good that will come from this announcement for either Jim Matheson or President Obama.