ONE RIGHT WING DEMOCRAT DERAILS THE WHOLE PARTY IN PA-- MEET THOMAS CALTAGIRONE, REACTIONARY AND TRAITOR

You may have noticed that sometimes I talk about "faithless Democrats," folks who get elected as Democrats but then vote with the Republicans on important, even crucial, issues. Last year we did our best to disrupt the happy lives of some of the worst of this lot: Holy Joe Lieberman (the worst of the worst), Jane Harman, Henry Cuellar, Al Wynn and I had plenty of unpleasantness to say about Democrats who generally support corporate legislation over the interests of workers and consumers, like the two awful Senators Nelsons and the half dozen Democratic House members who most consistently voted the GOP line, Gene Taylor (MS), Dan Boren (OK), Bud Cramer (AL) Collin Peterson (MN; just rewarded for his treachery and reactionary politics with the chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee), Ike Skelton (MO) and Mike McIntyre (NC).

But it turns out there are worse Democrats than these. On election day the news from Pennsylvania was really good, really, really good. Democrats, independents and moderates got together and ousted far right senatorial dingbat Rick Santorum, as well as 4 Republican congressmen (the most of any state): Melissa Hart, Crazy Curt Weldon, Mike Fitzpatrick, and sexual predator Don Sherwood. Meanwhile incumbent Democratic governor Ed Rendell swamped GOP challenger Lynn Swann 60/40 and Rendell's coattails helped the Democrats gain a one vote majority in the State House, their first since 1994.

Enter Thomas Caltagirone (D-Reading), a spoiler and the ultimate faithless Democrat. Caltagirone is reactionary and a vicious homophobe who has no place in the Democratic Party to begin with. He's announced that he's casting his vote next week for Republican John Perzel for Speaker, in effect throwing all the committee chairs and all the power in the House to the Republicans. The anti-choice Caltagirone had previously joined forces with Perzel when they passed the violently unpopular legislative pay-raise last year.

All the Pennsylvania blogs are going bonkers over this and several have vowed to find and help finance a primary opponent for Caltagirone (if he has the gumption to even run again, which is doubtful). This is heartbreaking for Pennsylvania Democrats, not just because control of one of the 2 houses of the state legislature would have made it infinitely easier for Rendell to move his agenda but also because Perzel is widely considered the most loathsome person in state politics. DWT will help.


UPDATE: HALF A DOZEN REFORM-MINDED REPUBLICANS TO THE RESCUE?

Better than a partridge in a pear tree, it looks like Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese may get the Speaker's job afterall. Six Republicans, who are as disgusted with Perzel as most Pennsylvanians, have announced that they will not vote for him despite Caltagirone's treachery. (Meanwhile Perzel is trying to lure more Democrats like Caltagirone with promises of chairmanships... what a mad house!)