Lincoln Blog

October 13, 2008:

A recent article by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review columnist Eric Heyl points to the problem the Republican caucus in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will have as they attempt to pick up the post-election pieces.

Heyl reports on a recent fundraiser held by discredited and deposed former House Speaker John Perzel at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh. Apparently there are still true believers out there willing to bet some big dollars on a Perzel come back.

It is, of course, no surprise that Perzel keeps trying. A recently filed lawsuit by former legislative candidate Lowell Gates in Cumberland County over alleged Perzel dirty campaign tactics reveals the depths to which Perzel will sink in his effort to reclaim lost glory.

Perzel is nothing if not tenacious. But the larger question is should House Republicans go back to the future with Perzel? In addition to a lengthy track record of foot-in-the-mouth problems that makes Joe Biden look silver tongued, Perzel is everything the GOP is supposed to be against.

The former Speaker is a big city; big government Republican who believes his job is not to serve the people, but to serve those who give him campaign contributions. It remains to be seen if Perzel and/or any of his allies are snared in Attorney General Tom Corbett's Bonusgate net, but the fact he plays the same game - he just may have found a way to play it legally.

Assuming Republicans regain control of the state House of Representative - a rather big assumption at the moment - the issue of who will lead the party in that body will became one of monumental importance. With a gubernatorial election rapidly approaching, and Governor Ed Rendell unable to run again because of term limits, it will be up to legislative Republicans to frame a Republican agenda.

To say they have failed to do so to date would be like saying the economy has gone a bit sour. Current House leadership, in the person of Minority Leader Sam Smith, has been about as effective at communicating as George W. Bush, that is to say, not at all. Under Smith the caucus has wondered aimlessly in the legislative wilderness, unable to articulate a message or implement any sort of a pro-active legislative agenda.

This leaves the door wide open for Perzel, whose heavy-handed tactics gloved in the smooth velvet of campaign assistance often entices many a back-bencher to his cause.

That would be a dangerous course of action.

The Republican Party at all levels has squandered its brand. In Pennsylvania, much of the blame for that lays squarely on Perzel's shoulders. He is, simply put, part of the problem not part of the solution.

The time has come for a new generation of leadership to step forward in the state House, frankly, on both sides of the aisle. The good news is that there are fresh, new faces waiting in the wings to take charge. It would be good news for Pennsylvanians of all political stripes if the discredited old regimes headed by DeWeese and Perzel/Smith were to give way to leadership that can begin to address the serious problems that confront our state.

But then again, I'm still hoping my 401K gained value during the last quarter.

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