For the first time since December 2007, the National Labor Relations Board has all five of its members. Yesterday the NLRB swore in its fifth member, Republican Brian Hayes, for a full term after he and Democratic board member Mark Pearce were unanimously confirmed by the US Senate in late June. (Pearce was already on the board through a recess appointment.) Of course, now the only person on the NLRB without a full term is Craig Becker, whose recess appointment lasts until the end of the year when the Senate ends its current session.

Craig Becker clearly has a bias acknowledging the existence of labor unions. This unfairly taints his perception. Craig Becker should simply recuse himself from any NLRB cases that involves any kind of union or labor organization, in the past present or future. It’s only fair.

Today President Obama announced a series of recess appointments, including – count ‘em – two seats on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Both appointees, Craig Becker and Mark Pearce, are Democrats nominees. A third nominee, Brian Hayes, a staffer for Senator Mike Enzi, was left behind to be voted on by the Senate.

David Dayen at over at our News Desk reports that Tom Harkin is telling folks Craig Becker will get a recess appointment in the next week or so. About frickin’ time.

With Obama set to unveil the pre-Scott Brown health care compromise for next week’s bipartisan lovefest, the already fragile deal is falling apart. Fresh off a stinging slap to the face in which Obama refused to appoint Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board, labor unions are apparently backing out of the deal on the excise tax on high-cost health care plans.

Obama tonight said he would not make any recess appointments over the coming recess. Marc Ambinder confirms this includes Craig Becker.

Blanche Lincoln is doubling down on corporate philosophy in a desperate bid to keep her Senate seat. She opposed Becker because she wants issues to “be addressed through the regular legislative process,” which means she wants to ensure the Employee Free Choice Act go through the Senate so she can make sure to kill it herself.

Corporate groups set this up as a proxy vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, and Lincoln and Nelson got the message.

According to a source knowledgable about Becker’s nomination, the nominee to the NLRB has answered at least 496 written questions submitted to him by Senators. That could be more than any nominee in history.

Ben Nelson just issued a statement saying he’ll vote no on cloture for Craig Becker tomorrow. Let’s pick apart Nelson’s opposition, shall we?