The Right’s Latest Derangement

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One of the things that I’m simultaneously impressed and repelled by is the right’s ability to invent bizarre new smears where ordinary people would see no potential at all. How do they do it? The latest example comes from John McCormack at the Weekly Standard, whose headline blares:

Obama Now Selling Judgeships for Health Care Votes?

Where does this come from? It turns out that Obama has nominated University of Utah law professor Scott Matheson to a judgeship on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, and Matheson is the brother of a congressman, Jim Matheson, who will be voting on healthcare reform in a couple of weeks. “The timing of this nomination looks suspicious,” McCormack says darkly. The acerbic Jon Chait, after noting Scott’s stellar qualifications, comments:

McCormack, before proceeding to speculate that the nomination is intended to pay off his brother, does concede, “Matheson appears to have the credentials to be a judge.” Come on, let’s not be so naive here. Sure, he’s a Stanford alum, Rhodes scholar, Yale Law School graduate, Harvard profesor, U.S. Attorney, and law school dean. Maybe that makes him “qualified” by the rock-bottom standards of this administration, even if he’s no Harriet Miers.

The real problem here, I think, is that McCormack isn’t really cut out for this kind of thing. This is Glenn Beck material, as he demonstrates so eloquently in his response to the news about Matheson: “Can I tell you something. How many times does someone from Utah need to be the linchpin that almost destroys the Republic?”

Now that’s the ticket! Forget about healthcare and pivot immediately into some grand conspiracy theory about the role of Utah in the destruction of the Republic. Beck is even a Mormon, but he doesn’t let that stop him. That’s what we all admire about the guy.

Anyway, terrific stuff. Enjoy it while you can, because tomorrow it will be something new.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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