Seriously … we may want to forget the drama inside the House Democrats over Majority Leader Bill DeWeese and focus instead on the soap opera that the House Republicans are turning into. You may remember last night I published a post about former House Speaker John Perzel allegedly hiring a political hit man to do opposition research on members of his own caucus like Minority Leader Sam Smith. If Perzel wants back the House Republican’s leadership mantle, he’ll have to go through Smith. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette today via Tracie Mauriello followed up on other published reports:
Other Republicans Mr. (Joseph) Carduff says he was told to research included Republican Leader Sam Smith of Punxsutawney; Mike Turzai of Bradford Woods, who is planning to run for minority whip, the second-ranking job in the caucus; and Dennis O’Brien of Philadelphia, who defeated Mr. Perzel for speaker two years ago.
The other Republicans on the list were those who publicly criticized Mr. Perzel, voted against him in the 2006 speaker election or blocked him from other leadership positions that year.
“This is the kind of politics that the people of Pennsylvania are sick of,” Mr. Smith said in a short statement issued last night.
What’s particularly intriguing is Smith’s response. While Perzel denies it, Smith treats it as fact. And these two used to be allies. That must be one cold minority caucus room this week.
So “like sands through the hourglass, so too are the days of our GOP lives … “
