Southeast Reps Take Aim at DeWeese

Josh Shapiro (D-Abington) didn't need to call for Bill DeWeese's resignation over the Bonusgate scandal. Without a competitor this fall, Josh has nothing to lose in throwing DeWeese under the bus.

But after negotiating the deal which left DeWeese out of the speaker's seat two years ago and Republican Denny O'Brien in, it shouldn't be a surprise to see Shapiro making this morning's call for the House Majority leader to step aside.

Rick Taylor (D-Ambler) on the other hand is in a fight against a strong opponent, Montco Assistant DA Todd Stevens. Taylor needed this moment to get the issue off the table, after Montco GOP Chair - Bob Kerns - called for Taylor to explain his own staffer's role in the scandal. So in a not-so-suprising move, Taylor made his own call for the Democrat to step aside.

DeWeese hasn't been indicted but is quickly becoming the poster-boy for the controversy and, as Shapiro puts it,

"Bill DeWeese's presence as the leader of our caucus -- the face of our caucus -- dramatically undermines that effort to expand our majority, and may even compromise it."

DeWeese fired back, albeit weakly, as he stated that Shapiro was only trying to cover himself, after an obscure reference to him was made in the indictment.

Shapiro did his best to provide his nearby colleague Taylor the cover, but the move by the 151st District incumbent seems reactionary given that Steven's and the GOP out-flanked him on the issue. Clearly, Rick is in trouble and his piling on DeWeese is simply a matter of convenience.