Brad Bumstead, the astute Harrisburg reporter for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says House Democrats had a chance to sever ties with tainted leadership last week, but decided to stick with the same people that have been associated with the business-as-usual attitude in the State Capitol.

By keeping Bill DeWeese, the embattled former Democratic Majority Leader, in the leadership mix and elevating Todd Eachus to DeWeese's former spot, the Democrats rejected reform candidates who wanted to move the party away from the culture of corruption that has permeated Harrisburg for decades.

"Any sane political analysis would conclude the Democratic Caucus blew its chance to break from the bonus scandal," Bumstead writes. "Even if no one in the current leadership ever is charged, they were part and parcel of the culture that produced the scandal."

This is nothing new. Democrats frequently sweep corruption under the rug instead of dealing with it head on.

Read Bumstead's full column at the newspaper's Web site.