I was right: PA Dems are smart

Not smart enough to prevent treason, evidently, but smart enough to bring a gun to Perzel's knifefight. House Dem leader Bill DeWeese - whose "petty vindictiveness" was apparently so offensive to the dear Rep. Caltagirone - nominated Rep. Dennis O'Brien (R-Phila.) for Speaker of the House, thus defeating anti-democratic prick (and longtime O'Brien foe) John Perzel (R-His Own Ego). O'Brien is, according to reports, reform-minded and, more importantly, indebted to DeWeese. Obviously, this is not the optimal result of Dems taking the House majority, but it's certainly good enough, most importantly because Perzel had dedicated himself to obstructing Gov. Rendell's popular (supported by 60% of Pennsylvanians) agenda.

One other note, a tally I hadn't seen before: November gave us 50 new House members (of both parties), representing just under a quarter of the 203-member chamber (which is I believe the 2nd-largest in the nation, for the 6th-largest state). I think that qualifies as a sea change.