The former No. 2 Democrat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives was found guilty Monday night of 14 corruption-related charges following a six-week trial.

Former state Rep. Mike Veon had been facing 59 counts related to public corruption while he held the post of Democratic Whip in the state House.

Prosecutors alleged that Veon orchestrated a scheme to pay state workers for doing campaign work on taxpayer time. Democrats took back control of the state House in 2006 thanks to Veon's efforts.

Two of Veon's former aides were also found guilty. A fourth defendant was acquitted of all charges.

While not the slam dunk case Attorney General Tom Corbett, who brought the charges, had hoped for, convictions of three of the four defendants will cement Corbett's reputation as a corruption-busing crusader.

Corbett is running for Pennsylvania governor.

If you haven't been paying attention to the Bonusgate trial of former House Democratic leader Mike Veon, you should.

Columnist Brad Bumsted says the testimony about the elaborate criminal enterprise allegedly set up by Veon and others inside the Capitol is appalling.

"Every Pennsylvania taxpayer should be furious," Bumsted writes.

Bumsted has written extensively on Bonusgate and this week's column focuses on testimony by Scott Brubaker, a former state House aide.

From Bumsted's column:

The secrecy was "exactly why we did it. You could get a bonus, and you didn't have to disclose it," said Brubaker. House Rule 14 didn't require that bonuses be publicly disclosed, he said.

"We would not report something we didn't have to report," Brubaker testified.

Right. Of course, you never tell the taxpayers how their money actually is being spent.

That statement by Brubaker accurately summarizes why Pennsylvania state government is regressive, insular and, to a certain extent, corrupt.

We have a Right to Know Law that will enable people to get some records never available before -- if you ask the right questions. Outside of the basics, the Legislature isn't covered on certain documents (such as e-mails).

And here was this ex-House staffer, who might be going to prison, talking about how they conspired to keep taxpayers in the dark about spending $1.4 million.

Meanwhile, the three-year compensation total for the Brubaker household, salaries and bonuses, courtesy of taxpayers, was $692,243.

What's galling is the hubris of Scott Brubaker, Mike Manzo, the former Democratic Caucus chief of staff, and Veon's former chief of staff, Jeffrey Foreman, who told the jury about ways they tried to keep information away from the public.

When the bonuses were revealed in January 2007, the House Democrat PR machine, day after day, insisted there were no bonuses for campaign work. Yet seven former staffers, including the Brubakers, Manzo and Foreman, have now pleaded guilty to participating in that scheme.

The real crime, however, was deceiving the taxpayers.

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

Time magazine is focusing national attention on the ongoing political corruption scandals in Harrisburg.

From an article by Sean Scully posted at Time.com:

Pennsylvania has long been known for shady politics, but this year promises to be particularly ugly as series of corruption trials unfold, all stemming from a sweeping probe known as "Bonusgate." Prosecutors charge that leaders of both parties in the state House of Representatives flagrantly ignored the law, using taxpayer money to wage political warfare and to lavish perks on aides and party loyalists. The price tag is likely in the tens of millions, and prosecutors warn there could be more indictments, possibly targeting leaders of the State Senate. "There was an unbelievable sense of entitlement in Harrisburg that they could do this with a high degree of immunity," said Chris Borick, political science professor at Muhlenberg College.

Read the full article at the link below:

Corruption Scandal Scrambles Pennsylvania Politics

The Associated Press is reporting that Attorney General Tom Corbett has charged state Rep. Bill DeWeese, a top-ranking Democratic leader for decades, and Gov. Ed Rendell's former Revenue Secretary, Stephen Stetler, with theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest charges.

This is the third round of charges in what has been known as "Bonusgate," a wide-ranging investigation of corruption centered in the Pennsylvania Legislature.

DeWeese, who has served in the House since 1976, including a lengthy term as Democratic floor leader and a term as Speaker of the House, has repeatedly denied any knowledge or involvement in "Bonusgate," which involved paying millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonus money to Democrats for political work on state time.

The charges against Stetler are related to his previous service in the state House, according to the AP. He resigned as Rendell's Revenue Secretary Tuesday morning in anticipation of the criminal charges.

The latest corruption scandal to hit Harrisburg has prompted calls for a Constitutional Convention to reform state government. The problem is that a convention needs approval by the Legislature. The people of Pennsylvania can clean up the mess in 2010 when all 203 members of the state House and 25 members of the state Senate are up for reelection.

Government Watchdogs Call for Constitutional Convention in Pa.|abc27 News

Former Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader Bill DeWeese engaged in the same illegal activities that led to criminal charges against 12 underlings, according to court documents filed on behalf of former state Rep. Mike Veon, who served as DeWeese's right-hand man, reports Mark Scolforo of The Associated Press.

From Scolforo's story on the ongoing Bonusgate corruption case:

In the filing, Veon said prosecutors' own investigative materials show that DeWeese and his staff did many of the same things that prompted the charges. As a result, Veon said the charges against him should be dropped.

Veon served as whip while DeWeese was Democratic floor leader for many years before Veon lost re-election in 2006. The new filing is the first public sign that the investigation has caused a rift between the two.

Veon and 11 others associated with the House Democratic caucus were charged last summer with theft, conflict of interest and conspiracy in what prosecutors say was a scheme to divert public resources and state employees for campaigning or other improper purposes.

DeWeese, who bowed to political pressure and stepped down as the House Democratic leader in January of this year, is still part of the Democratic leadership team. He has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing but his name continues to surface in the ongoing corruption investigation.

After millions of dollars in bonus payments were allegedly made to Democratic House staffers for political work, the Democrats regained majority control of the state House in 2006 after 12 years of Republican control.

Just because your former boss has been indicted in the biggest corruption scandal in state history doesn't mean you can't rise to a top position in the Rendell Administration.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that Colleen Kopp, the former aide and lobbying partner of ex-Rep. Mike Veon, has been promoted to the post of Rendell's secretary for legislative affairs.

The promotion comes about a month after Kopp joined the Rendell Administration as deputy legislative secretary.

Kopp is not facing any charges in the Bonusgate corruption case, but her name was mentioned in a recent grand jury report that led to the arrest of Veon and 11 other members of the House Democratic Caucus, according to reporter Brad Bumsted.

Kopp was hired by Rendell in March to a $102,000 state job despite a hiring freeze Rendell imposed last fall.

Read Bumsted's full story at the newspaper's Web site.

Gov. Ed Rendell has made another exception to the hiring freeze he imposed last fall, offering a $102,000-a-year state job to ex-state Rep. Mike Veon's lobbying partner, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Her name is Colleen Kopp and she is Rendell's new senior deputy secretary for legislative affairs.

Veon, the former No. 2 ranking Democrat in the state House, is right smack in the middle of two of the biggest corruption scandals in Pennsylvania political history.

He is facing charges involving the Bonusgate scheme in which millions of dollars were awarded to state workers for allegedly conducting political work on taxpayers' time. Veon has also been charged in a scheme involving misuse of state money to fund a nonprofit organization that received $10 million from the state.

Kopp has not been charged with any wrongdoing. She does, however, have a long association with Veon, including stints as executive director and chief of staff of Veon's legislative staff.

Reporters Brad Bumsted and Debra Erdley said Kopp is the third prominent Democrat hired by Rendell since the hiring freeze was imposed.

From their article:

Rendell hired Colleen Kopp last week, the third high-profile exception he has made to the freeze he implemented in September. He hired defeated Democratic Rep. Dan Surra of Clearfield County for $95,000 a year to oversee a nature-tourism project, and last week agreed to pay Ken Snyder of Philadelphia $100,000 to tout the federal stimulus package. Snyder, a public relations man who consulted for Rendell in 2003, represented a nonprofit pillaged by convicted former Sen. Vincent Fumo.

Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.

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That's what 137 guilty verdicts looks like. A jury has found former state Sen. Vince Fumo, a Philadelphia Democrat and longtime political ally of Gov. Ed Rendell, guilty of all 137 counts in his five-month-long corruption trial.

The verdicts may not mean much to the average Philadelphia resident, but should send shock waves down the spines of Harrisburg politicians.

Taxpayers are fed up with self-serving professional politicians. Pennsylvania residents have had it with corruption. Vince Fumo, at age 65 and with a bad heart, probably will spend the rest of his life behind bars. And he'll going to have plenty of company.

Don't be surprised if the 12 "Bonusgate" defendants start looking for a plea bargain in return for testifying against the bigger fish up the food chain.

In today's climate, you don't want to take your chances with jurors who are looking to punish the people who have lined their own pockets at taxpayers' expense.

When the state's top law enforcement officer says corruption in the Pennsylvania Legislature will "shock the conscience of people" you have to pay attention.

It appears last year's arrest of 12 people connected to the House Democratic Caucus was just the tip of the iceberg in what is shaping up to be the biggest political scandal in Pennsylvania history.

Dubbed "Bonusgate" by the media, the charges against top Democratic officials stem from the awarding of millions of tax dollars to state employees who were doing political work while they were on the clock.

The biggest fish snared so far is former state Rep. Mike Veon, the former No. 2 Democratic leader in the House.

But Attorney General Tom Corbett, in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, says charges anticipated later this year will leave Pennsylvania residents "stunned" by the amount of money involved in the corruption probe.

Reporter Brad Bumstead also notes that the Legislature's costs for legal fees related to the investigation has reached $5.8 million so far. In other words, the political aristocracy in Harrisburg has spent nearly $6 million of your tax dollars to defend itself from charges that it illegally spent more than $4 million to hand out bonuses to political operatives.

Only in Pennsylvania.

I hear that the state is planning to build a new maximum security prison to replacing the aging Graterford Prison in Montgomery County. Perhaps it could set aside an entire wing to house current and former members of the Pennsylvania Legislature and their staffers.

Read Bumstead's full story, "Corruption total will be stunning, says Corbett,"
at the newspaper's Web site.

I finally figured out how to spell Blagojevich without having to look it up and look what happens. Poor Ron Blagojevich gets himself impeached.

After a four-day trial, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict Blagojevich on the charge of abuse of power.

The new governor is Patrick Quinn.

The Senate also voted 59-0 to bar Blagojevich from ever holding public office in the state again. That seems pretty harsh to me.

Maybe Ron Blagojevic should move to Pennsylvania. We don't hold our politicians to such high standards here.

A little thing like an impeachment won't hurt his chance of getting elected in Pennsylvania, which in the words of one veteran political observer is "probably the most corrupt state government in America."

After all, Pennsylvania is home of Congressman John Murtha, former state Sen. Vincent Fumo and the 12 "Bonusgate" defendants.

Blagojevich would fit right in.

On top of their very generous $76,000-a-year salary and their gold-plated benefits package, members of the Pennsylvania Legislature are entitled to $158 every time they show up for work in Harrisburg.

The $158 per-diem payment is supposed to cover food and other expenses of traveling to their jobs. You know, just like your boss treats you to lunch every day or just pays you a bonus for showing up.

Brad Bumstead examines the per-diem scam as part of the overall Bonusgate corruption investigation in his latest column for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

From his column:

Since I've been covering the Capitol -- starting in 1983 -- lawmakers of both parties have been ripping off taxpayers by claiming the full per diem while also charging the state for pricey dinners. Sometimes, the caucus or chief clerk's office would provide dinner at the Capitol while legislators were in session.

The Maverick Steak House was the favorite watering hole for years until it burned down. Vissagio's, an Italian eatery, was also a regular spot. Tavern on the Hill has been a more recent favorite. There's no doubt whatsoever that many collected per diems while also charging the state for fancy dinners.

It's double-dipping.

Sometimes, leaders would put the arm on a lobbyist and take a half-dozen members along for a free meal, all the while collecting the full per diem.

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

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.

John Perzel, who a few short years ago was the most powerful member of the Pennsylvania Legislature, takes one more shot at a leadership post today.

The former Speaker of the House has been losing his grip on Harrisburg power ever since he pushed for the ill-fated, middle-of-the-night pay raise in July 2005. The backlash from the pay raise (and Perzel's continued defense of the action) knocked the Republicans out of the majority in the House in November 2006.

Because the Democratic majority in the House was a slim 102-101, Perzel attempted to hold the Speaker post by enticing three Democrats to vote for him, but six Republicans turned against Perzel, ending his bid to hold the Speaker's office.

Reduced to the silly title of "Speaker Emeritus" over the past two years, Perzel has been plotting a comeback. He will challenge Rep. Sam Smith for the post of House Minority Leader when the GOP Caucus holds a close-door leadership vote today.

If Perzel loses, which he probably will, his days in the Legislature may be numbered. When you've called the shots as long as Perzel has, it won't be easy to sit in the back of the House chamber as just a rank-and-file member for another two years.

Two things are working against a Perzel comeback. One is the revelation that Perzel allegedly hired an investigator to dig up dirt on fellow Republicans. Everybody expects dirty tricks in politics, but not against your own party members.

The second revelation is a published report by The Philadelphia Inquirer that a grand jury is looking at whether House Republican leaders, including Perzel, improperly used a $9 million taxpayer-funded database to improve their chances of winning elections.

House Republicans want to run away from Perzel, much like House Democrats are trying to distance themselves from their tainted leader, Bill DeWeese.

Smith, while not the most effective floor leader, hasn't made as many enemies as Perzel has over the years. Expect Smith to retain his leadership post when the House Republican Caucus convenes today to pick its leadership slate for the next two years.

As for DeWeese, he's already announced he won't seek another term as House Majority Leader. In other words, he jumped overboard before House Republicans pushed him off the plank. DeWeese is willing to accept the No. 3 leadership post in the House Democratic Caucus, but that's not a sure thing, either.

The Bonusgate scandal is widely credited with preventing House Democrats from increasing their slim majority despite the Obama landslide in Pennsylvania. So far, 12 people associated with the House Caucus are facing criminal charges in a scheme to use taxpayer funds for political work. DeWeese has not been charged, but his chief of staff testified in court that DeWeese was aware of the diversion of tax dollars for political campaign work.

It looks like we won't have Bill DeWeese to kick around anymore.

The embattled House Democratic Majority leader is dropping out of the race for another two-year term as floor leader to avoid the embarrassment of having his own Caucus members show him the door.

Prominent House Democrats attempted a coup earlier this year to force DeWeese to resign as Majority Leader, but he held on to his post ... at least for a few more months.

DeWeese survived a scare at the polls on Nov. 4 when he managed to beat Greg Hopkins, an under-funded opponent by just 2,107 votes. (DeWeese actually lost to Hopkins in Greene County, the heart of the 50th House District.)

DeWeese ran the Democratic Caucus during the Bonusgate scandal, in which politicians allegedly used millions of taxpayer dollars to pay state employees for doing campaign work.

Although DeWeese is not one of the 12 people connected to the Democratic Caucus to face criminal charges so far and maintains his innocence, his chief of staff testified in court that DeWeese was aware of the diversion of taxpayer funds for political purposes.

The Bonusgate scandal, the lingering mistrust of Harrisburg lawmakers over the 2005 pay raise vote and the inability of DeWeese to get any major Democratic legislation passed in the House during the past two years sealed his fate.

Perhaps the Democrats can come up with a new title for DeWeese, like the Republicans did for John Perzel, the former Speaker of the House who was dethroned by his one party members after the pay raise fiasco and the GOP's loss of the House majority. Perzel became the "Speaker Emeritus" of the House after he lost the powerful Speaker post.

Maybe DeWeese can now be "Leader Emeritus" as the Democrats attempt to pick up the pieces left by their self-destructive leadership.

DeWeese's departure means that 3 of the 4 top Legislative leaders who pushed for the middle-of-the-night pay raise are no longer holding their leadership posts.

Joining DeWeese and Perzel in exile is Robert C. Jubelirer, the Senate Pro Tempore at the time of the July 2005 pay raise. Jubelirer was voted out of office in 2006.

For good measure, Senate GOP Majority Leader David Brightbill was also kicked out by voters. The only legislative leader who survived the purge is Robert Mellow, the Democratic Minority Leader in the Senate.

There are two possible outcomes from the Bonusgate scandal, according to an editorial in The Delaware County Daily Times:

One, voters will give up, saying they can't change the culture of corruption that pervades state government in Pennsylvania.

Two, voters will rise up and demand accountability by voting out incumbents, just like they did in 2006 in the aftermath of the pay raise scandal.

From the editorial:

People get so discouraged with the process, they begin to withdraw altogether. They shrug their shoulders, roll their eyes. Another day, another scandal in Harrisburg.

Now there is once again talk of reform in Harrisburg, with a handful of legislators pushing for a constitutional convention to address need change in the capital. The last time they did that was back in 1967. If you listen to the poll, the response from the public is clear: Don't bother, or waste the money.

It was just a few years ago when voters, outraged over a midnight pay raise voted by the Legislature in the wee hours of the morning, took out their revenge in a more practical manner.

First they vented their spleen. They demonstrated. They wrote letters. They held protests at the state Capitol.

Then they got serious. They voted.

A lot of politicians didn't even wait for the dust to settle. They left Harrisburg before they could be shown the door in the primaries. Several long-time pols who dared appear on the ballot were unceremoniously dumped from office. In one unheard of event, a sitting state Supreme Court justice was denied what is almost a formality in a retention vote.

It's time for voters to get involved one more time. Three of four people in the state do not believe the Legislature will take the necessary steps to clean up their act.

Citizens should do it for them. At the voting booth.

Read the full editorial, "Pa. voters need to clean up Capitol politics," at the newspaper's Web site.

How timely. A day after a leading House Democrat called for the resignation of House Democratic Majority Leader Bill DeWeese, a new Quinnipiac University poll released today finds that a majority of Pennsylvania residents also want DeWeese to hit the road.

The poll says 53 percent of Pennsylvania residents want DeWeese to step down from his leadership post. (DeWeese is not facing criminal charges in the Bonusgate scandal, but his former chief of staff, Michael Manzo, and his former No. 2 man, Mike Veon, were among 12 Democrats indicted.)

Some other findings from the poll: Only 24 percent of voters have confidence that the Legislature can deal with corruption on its own. A whopping 76 percent of those polled want Gov. Ed Rendell to call a special session of the Legislature to deal with reform.

More than half of those polled (51 percent) disapprove of the Legislature's job performance.

"Pennsylvania voters are clearly fed up with the Legislature; say both parties are responsible for corruption, even though only Democrats were indicted in Bonusgate, and want House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese to step down for his role in the scandal," said Clay F. Richards, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "They are looking to Gov. Ed Rendell to convene a special session to handle corruption, but have no faith that lawmakers can clean their own house."

I wonder if Josh Shapiro saw the poll numbers early when he called a Monday press conference to demand DeWeese resign from his leadership post.

Shapiro gave five reasons why he wants DeWeese to go, but the key reason is that Democrats are worried that DeWeese has become the symbol of state corruption. The longer he remains in power, the more likely Democrats will lose their thin majority in the House.

Read the full Quinnipiac University poll at the school's Web site.

Pennsylvania Democratic House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese never saw it coming.

On guard against more indictments from the Attorney General's office in the ever-expanding Bonusgate scandal, DeWeese wasn't watching his flank.

On Monday, DeWeese was stabbed in the back by one of his caucus members.

Josh Shapiro, who has been in the House for less than four years, struck a fatal blow to DeWeese at a press conference Shapiro called to denounce DeWeese's leadership and call for his resignation as majority leader.

Shapiro wasn't the first House member to publicly call for DeWeese's ouster, but Shapiro is no ordinary rank-and-file member of the Democratic Caucus.

Shapiro is the golden boy of the Democratic Party. His is a shooting star. He brokered the 2007 deal that put Dennis O'Brien as Speaker of the House when DeWeese couldn't muster enough votes for the coveted position.

Shapiro, who represents parts of Montgomery County, also led the reform effort in the House, although it sputtered in the end.

But here's the key to Shapiro's attack on DeWeese. Shapiro doesn't make a move without the approval of The Godfather, Edward G. Rendell. This was a sanctioned hit against DeWeese by Rendell.

Shapiro did the dirty work, but Monday's public humiliation of DeWeese comes directly from the No. 1 Democrat in Pennsylvania: Gov. Rendell.

Rendell was busy running around the state giving out big checks on Monday, so he sent Shapiro to deliver DeWeese's political death sentence.

There's no way for DeWeese to survive as majority leader. More Democrats will come out publicly against DeWeese, shielded by the golden boy, Shapiro, and under the implied protection of The Godfather, Ed Rendell.

Interesting timing for the preliminary hearings for the 12 Democrats under indictment in the Bonusgate scandal.

Their next court date is Oct. 7, which is one month before the Nov. 4 General Election.

That should keep the story in the news as voters head to the polls to clean up the mess in Harrisburg.

Preliminary Hearing Date Set for Defendants in Bonus Investigation

Let's see if this makes any sense. Membership in labor unions has been shrinking for the past 50 years. The influence of labor unions has been declining. Wages are falling and jobs are leaving the U.S.

But Big Labor keeps endorsing Democrats. Has it occurred to anyone that the decline of the American labor movement is tied with its blind allegiance to the Democratic Party?

Just thinking out loud.

It appears that the AFL-CIO brain trust in Pennsylvania has once again found the Democratic Party candidates more qualified for every state and national office.

That includes Rep. Bill DeWeese, who presided over the state House of Representatives during the Bonusgate scandal.

The endorsements also include state Rep. Sean M. Ramaley, who is seeking the vacant 47th state Senate seat. Ramaley was one of the 12 Democratic Party officials indicted in the Bonusgate corruption probe.

"These candidates have proven themselves to be the friends and supporters of working families," Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President William George said in a written statement.

How many of the endorsed Democrats were "friends of working families" when they spent $4 million in tax dollars for illegal campaign work on state time?

What a joke.

For a full list of the incumbent Democrats who have raised taxes on Pennsylvania's working families and approved massive government borrowing that will saddle young Pennsylvanians with billions of dollars in debt, follow the link below:

Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Resoundingly Reaffirms Endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President and Announces Endorsements for Statewide Row Offices, U.S. Congress and State Legislature

The (Delaware County) Daily Times says things are so out-of-control in Harrisburg that only a constitutional convention could straighten out the mess our lawmakers have made.

From a Daily Times editorial:

A recent history of the men and women sent to serve the public in Harrisburg includes a middle-of-the-night pay raise, followed two years later by indictments of lawmakers and their aides for using state resources for personal election campaigns.

"Bonus Gate" alleges taxpayer money rewarded legislative staff with bonuses for doing campaign work for their bosses. That alone begs the question: If all that time can be spent on personal work, why is there a need for such a large staff for every elected legislator?

The moment has come for voters to make the hard financial decisions those in Harrisburg have demonstrated time after time that they never will. A constitutional convention would give the electorate that chance.

Read the full editorial, "It's time for a big change in Harrisburg," at the newspaper's Web site.

Support for embattled House Majority Leader Bill DeWeese is crumbling in the wake of the biggest corruption scandal in Pennsylvania history.

DeWeese, who took over as majority leader when the Democrats regained the majority in the House after the 2006 elections, has not been indicted but his former chief of staff, Michael Manzo, and DeWeese lieutenant, Mike Veon, former House Democratic Whip, are at the center of the Bonusgate criminal investigation.

"What did Bill DeWeese know and when did he know it?" is the most popular question being asked around the state Capitol these days.

Eric Epstein, founder of the reform group RockTheCapital.org, told The Philadelphia Inquirer: "DeWeese is asking the public to buy into the I or I defense. He is either incompetent because he didn't know what was going on ... or he is an idiot if he thinks the public is going to continue to buy his line of defense."

Even if DeWeese manages to avoid being indicted himself or somehow manages to win re-election on Nov. 4, there is no way he will hold on to his leadership post when the Democrats reorganize in January. (Read "DeWeese's credibility at stake over scandal" in The Inquirer)

DeWeese barely won re-election in 2006 because of public anger over the pay raise fiasco that DeWeese helped orchestrate the previous year. Political newcomer Greg Hopkins finished just 1,041 votes behind DeWeese. Hopkins is challenging DeWeese again in November.

DeWeese is the public face of Bonusgate. If the Democrats are ever to shake the corruption label, they have to jettison DeWeese. And do it in a hurry.

The Democrats always stand together as a caucus (101 of 102 Democrats voted in favor of the 2008-09 General Fund budget), but the ranks are crumbling.

State Reps. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne County) and Bill Keller (D-Philadelphia) have called on DeWeese to resign, according to The Associated Press and the usually on-target Capitolwire.com

John Micek at Capitol Ideas says state Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, has also called DeWeese to step aside.

Expect more Democrats to distance themselves from caucus leadership in an attempt to save themselves at the polls. The chorus to toss DeWeese overboard will continue to grow louder over the next four months.

A lot of people don't know this, but the Bonusgate investigation was initiated after a newspaper article detailed some of the illegal activity inside the Democratic caucus in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The same thing happened with the PHEAA spending scandal. It began with newspapers seeking information about the agency's spending. Imagine how little Pennsylvania taxpayers would know about how politicians waste money if newspapers weren't serving as watchdogs over government. In case you missed it, this is the Associated Press article recapping the reaction of Pennsylvania newspapers to the Bonusgate scandal.

By MARTHA RAFFAELE
Associated Press Writer

HARRISBURG — The political corruption charges filed against a dozen people connected to the state House's Democratic caucus inspired editorial writers and columnists to wield exceptionally sharp pencils as they vent their outrage about the Capitol's culture.

The secrecy that shrouds legislative leaders' spending practices is just one element that writers have assailed since the attorney general on Thursday accused a lawmaker, a former legislator and 10 others of spending of taxpayer dollars on political campaigns.

"An internal matter? The public's business never is," said the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Newspapers are overwhelmingly calling for sweeping reform — urging voters to vote out incumbents in the November general election or chiding lawmakers for failing to embrace accountability measures such as nonpartisan redistricting or reducing the Legislature's size.

"One does not need to know the full scope of the institutionalized corruption of the General Assembly to conclude that there needs to be a radical change in heretofore accepted practices," said The Patriot-News of Harrisburg, which in January 2007 was the first to report on the payouts of bonuses to legislative staffers who worked on electoral campaigns. "These are practices that may or may not be legal but which offend the sensibilities of hardworking, fair-minded, taxpaying Pennsylvanians."

Fundamental changes, the newspaper said, are needed to return the General Assembly "to the representative and accountable legislative body it was intended to be."

At least two newspapers have called for the ouster of House Democratic leader Bill DeWeese. He was not charged Thursday by Attorney General Tom Corbett, but former Rep. Mike Veon — DeWeese's longtime ally and former second-in-command — and DeWeese's former chief of staff Mike Manzo are among the defendants, and critics say DeWeese's leadership role requires him to be held accountable.

"The Democratic leader has been touting his efforts to clean house, but the fact remains that this alleged scheme occurred on his watch. He should have resigned already," The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote. "The probe makes clear that House Democrats need a new leader to instill public integrity."

The Post-Gazette called the alleged scheme "the height of arrogance" as it weighed in on the need for new House Democratic leadership.

"The Democratic House leadership, as we've said before, deserves a thorough housecleaning, regardless of the names on the indictments, from Bill DeWeese on down," the newspaper wrote.

In a statement released Monday, DeWeese spokesman Tom Andrews said the majority leader brought in seasoned prosecutors to help investigate when the allegations first surfaced more than a year ago.

"He was outraged by the activity they uncovered and, with the backing of the House Democratic Caucus leadership team, they did a major housecleaning last November," Andrews said of DeWeese.

Andrews pointed out that House Democrats implemented a Code of Conduct, a Compliance & Ethics program, and other financial and personnel controls "to make sure that no individual or group of people can ever get away with anything like this again."

Over the next two months, DeWeese will consult with his leadership team and members of his caucus to determine which reform legislation will be considered during the fall agenda, Andrews said.

The Express-Times of Easton suggested that a constitutional convention favored by some activists would be a step in the right direction.

"It's time to let someone other than legislators set the rules for legislating, spending money, and being accountable to the public," the newspaper said.

Veon's hometown newspaper, the Beaver County Times, said the indictments also reflect on Pennsylvania voters for tolerating "politics as usual" despite tossing out 24 incumbents in the elections that followed the ill-fated 2005 legislative pay raise.

"What happened in the 2006 election was a spritz of air freshener," the newspaper said. "The job is not done. A total fumigation is needed."

Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Baer used an equally vivid metaphor in advocating a "thorough, cathartic cleansing."

Baer contended that the indictments are the latest in a series of symptoms of the institution's ethical decay: the pay-raise fiasco, federal corruption charges filed against Democratic Philadelphia Sen. Vincent Fumo, and "the Legislature's ongoing general ineptness."

"I'm talking flamethrowers followed by fire hoses," Baer wrote.

The Montgomery County Republican Committee has called on state Rep. Rick Taylor, D-151st Dist., to reimburse the state for what it terms illegal "bonus" money state workers received for working on Taylor's 2006 campaign, according to reporter Margaret Gibbons.

Montco GOP Chairman Robert J. Kerns said Taylor should pay back the part of the $15,185 bonus in state money that state legislative aide Rachel Manzo received for work she did on Taylor's campaign, including serving as the campaign manager in the couple of weeks leading up to the November 2006 election, Gibbons says.

Manzo, the executive director of the state House Democratic Policy Committee, was among the dozen Democrats arrested last week on political corruption charges involving the payment of "bonuses" to state employees for their work on Democratic campaigns, Gibbons writes.

Taylor won the 151st District House seat in 2006, the same year Democrats took a majority in the House after 12 years of Republican control.

The indictments handed down last week by two separate grand juries allege an elaborate scheme orchestrated by top Democratic leaders to illegally use taxpayer funds to support Democratic campaigns.

Read the full story in today's edition of The Times-Herald.

Just when voters were starting to forget about the infamous 2005 Legislative pay raise, the Bonusgate scandal has put a bulls-eye on incumbent members of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

Is there any reason to give incumbent members of the Pennsylvania Legislature the benefit of the doubt? Haven't we seen enough corruption, fraud and waste of public tax dollars?

From an Associated Press story by Mark Scolforo:

Incumbents running this fall should expect questions about how they manage their campaign volunteers and whether their state-paid staff meticulously avoids the practices described in the attorney general's criminal allegations.

"I think it's probably one of the smartest campaign moves that any challenger makes this year," said Russ Diamond, who founded the PACleanSweep group that helped organize the anti-incumbent effort in the 2006 elections.

"In this kind of situation, Average Joe paints these legislators with a very, very broad brush, and in some part of their mind is going to consider them guilty — until proven innocent — by association," Diamond said.

The pay raise backlash helped lead to some reforms in which the General Assembly changed some of its internal rules and passed a new open-records law. A number of other reform measures — including a ban on bonuses — have passed the Senate but have stalled in the House.

"I thought the reform movement was, I won't say moribund, but certainly on close to life support," said Terry Madonna, a Franklin & Marshall College political scientist and longtime observer of Pennsylvania politics. "I think that everybody is going to be a reformer again."

The potential list of reform topics is long, including new rules for campaign donations and lobbying; a less partisan system of drawing up legislative districts; a ban on gifts to lawmakers; and a cutback on taxpayer-paid mailings and broadcast advertisements.

"Think about this: Incumbency wasn't enough," Diamond said. "Cardboard checks weren't enough. Newsletters and taxpayer funded PSAs weren't enough. Constituent services weren't enough. None of that was enough — these people had to actually break the law to the extent that they did to win."

The Times Herald in Norristown covered a bill signing ceremony on the same day that the Pennsylvania Attorney General announced the indictment of 12 people connected to the House Democratic Caucus on a variety of corruption charges.

The newspaper asked some of the politicians at the ceremony for their reaction.

Here's a sampling of the comments:

"There have been so many rumors for so many months. It makes your stomach turn," said state Rep. Michael Gerber, D-128th Dist.

State Rep. David Kessler, D-130th, pleaded ignorance, saying he didn't have an opinion on the coming charges. "I'm not familiar with that," Kessler said. "I'm a 51-year-old freshman representative."

Gov. Ed Rendell said the indictments show there's a need to reform the Legislature. "This speaks to the need for future reform," Rendell said. "We have to have campaign finance reform. The whole bonus-gate cloud has not prevented the legislature from doing good work. We had a very productive legislative session."

State Rep. Kate Harper, R-61st Dist., said she hoped Corbett's indictments "(don't) damage the reputation of the legislative institution. We're anxious to find out what goes on."

"I used to be a prosecutor and this is a sad day when anybody gets indicted. I hope it doesn't prevent us from continuing on," said state Rep. Bryan R. Lentz, D-161st Dist.

And the well-informed state Sen. Robert Tomlinson, R-6th Dist., said he "had no idea what the charges are and who they are against. The legislature will continue to go on."

Read the full story in today's edition of The Times Herald.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett announced the filing of criminal charges against 12 current or former state officials involved in the "Bonusgate" scandal.

The indictments are the culmination of a year-long investigation in what has turned out to be Pennsylvania's biggest public corruption scandal of the past 30 years. The case involved the use of $4 million in taxpayer dollars to provide bonuses to state employees who allegedly conducted campaign work on state time.

The biggest names under indictment are former state Rep. Mike Veon (pictured here), who was the No. 2 ranking House Democrat until he lost re-election in 2006, and state Rep. Sean Ramaley, a Democrat from Beaver County.

The other big name on the list of indictments is Michael Manzo, former chief of staff for Democratic Majority Leader Bill DeWeese. You can't get much closer to DeWeese than his chief of staff.

In other words, DeWeese dodged a bullet, but watch out for the ricochet.

The key to Thursday's indictments was a statement by Corbett saying the charges were part of the first phase of the investigation. Corbett said he expects more arrests to follow.

Thursday was not a good day for the Manzo family. Rachel Manzo, executive director of the House Democratic Policy Committee and wife of Michael Manzo was also indicted.

Another Harrisburg power couple got hit hard by the indictments. Jennifer Brubaker, director of the Legislative Research Office for the House Democratic Caucus and her husband, Scott Brubaker, the former director of staffing and administration for the House Democratic Caucus, were also charged.

And now that the dozen people named in the indictments are facing prison terms, will they cooperate with authorities and give up bigger fish? You better believe it. Everyone is out to save their own skins.

Read more about the indictments at the Attorney General's Web site.

As Corbett reminds us at the end of the detailed press release, "A person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty."

That doesn't mean you can't hold public officials accountable on Election Day. The only way to end the culture of corruption in Harrisburg is to clean house. All of the alleged illegal activity occurred under the watch of Bill DeWeese.