The Senate HELP committee is set to hold its hearing on National Labor Relations Board nominee Craig Becker at 4pm this afternoon.  But on the heels of Senate Dems reaching cloture for soon-to-be DOL Solicitor Patricia Smith, it appears the GOP is anxious about Democrats also holding a cloture vote for Craig Becker before Scott Brown is sworn at the end of next week.  A Senate GOP aide tells The Hill there will be “all-out war” if Dems try to confirm Becker:

“If they try to push this guy through before Scott Brown is seated it would seriously jeopardize Senate relations and destroy Democrats’ last shred of credibility,” one Senate GOP aide said about the nomination of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) nominee Craig Becker, for instance.

“The place would melt down. A shady move like that would spark an all-out war,” the aide said. “And the outrage wouldn’t be limited to the Senate chamber. The majority of Americans oppose card-check and if Democrats cut a backroom deal to circumvent the legislative process in an effort to enact it by regulation, 2010 will make 1994 seem like a good year for their party.”

Frankly, I don’t see how the Senate could melt down any further.  And we must repeat again: voters do not care about the Employee Free Choice Act.  At all.  Not one iota.  Democrats should immediately follow today’s hearing on Becker and pass all three outstanding NLRB nominations.