The Saturday Night Theft of the PA House (DINO switches vote)...

[Junkdrawer]

Democrat gives GOP Pa. House majority

Stunning switch by representative from Reading is aimed at depriving DeWeese of top job

HARRISBURG -- A Democratic legislator from Reading stunned his colleagues yesterday by announcing he will support Republican John Perzel for House speaker rather than Democrat H. William DeWeese.

State Rep. Thomas R. Caltagirone wrote to the other 101 Democrats in the House, criticizing Mr. DeWeese's "petty'' and "vindictive'' way of running the Democratic caucus and calling Mr. Perzel "a man of his word'' who is "open, inclusive and fair.''

If Mr. Perzel holds on to all 101 Republican House members -- which is not a certainty -- he would eke out a 102-101 victory over Mr. DeWeese on Tuesday, the opening day of the 2007-08 session. The Waynesburg Democrat has been hoping to regain the powerful speaker's post, which held in 1993-94.

Republicans have held the speaker's job since January 1995. Mr. Perzel has been speaker since March 2003, but his reign appeared to be at an end when Democrats won control of the House by a 102-101 margin on Nov. 7.

Democrats, naturally, are furious about this latest development.

State Chairman T.J. Rooney called Mr. Caltagirone's action "reprehensible ... selfish ... a slap in the face to his constituents and all Democrats throughout Pennsylvania. Make no mistake, this is an act of political treason. Caltagirone sold out to an ineffective ... Republican Party that was handed enormous losses as a result of unprecedented arrogance and 12 years of unchecked power."

....

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06365/750290-85.stm

General Discussion: Politics activism thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3035481

Election Reform activism thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x463612

[Junkdrawer]

1. A harbinger of things to come in the Senate?

:shrug:

[Penndems]

2. There are also threads on the issue on the Pennsylvania board:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=175

[Union Thug]

3. I agree. It is an act of political treason. F*ing turncoat...

With dems like this, who needs enemies?

[Joanne98]

4. Somebody paid him off. Find the money then crucify him!

[Junkdrawer]

5. My bet is that is that a $$$cushy$$$ job now awaits Tom...

:mad:

[PFunk]

6. It's actions like this that will eventually shatter the Dems as a unified party.

Infact I think they wil probally be 2-or-3 neo-democratic partys forming from the 'shattering' within 10-20 yrs. However I see this happening to the republican party even faster. Inshort I think the end of our two-party system of goverment is near.

[tbyg52]

9. As long as we get instant-runoff voting,

I say "GOOD"!

Edited for typo.

[Penndems]

7. There's a money trail connection to all this:

http://voicepa.blogspot.com/2007/01/representative-caltagirone-and-speaker.html

[Junkdrawer]

10. Great read...

:thumbsup:

[RB TexLa]

8. Personal friendships and animosity often trumps partisanship

at this level.

[Junkdrawer]

11. .

[Junkdrawer]

12. Dems to rally against lawmaker's 'treason'

State Democrats, still hung over from Republican maneuvering that may continue Rep. John Perzel's hold on the House speaker's chair, will hold rallies today in Reading and tomorrow in Harrisburg to highlight what they're calling the "political treason" of one of their own.

The rallies are billed as a show of "support for the will of the voters" by state Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney, who called on Rep. Tom Caltagirone, a Reading Democrat, to vote for Greene County Democrat H. William DeWeese as speaker or resign.

Mr. Caltagirone announced over the weekend that he will support Mr. Perzel, a Republican who has held the speaker's gavel since March 2003, instead of Mr. DeWeese, whom he characterized as "petty" and "vindictive" in a letter he sent to fellow House Democrats.

"Caltagirone sold out to Perzel and the House Republicans," Mr. Rooney said. "He now has two options: He should remain in the Democratic fold, or resign his seat immediately and switch his political affiliation to Republican -- which he in essence has done with this decision -- and run for the seat during a special election."

...

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/07001/750447-85.stm