DePasquale: DeWeese Should Go As Majority Leader (Capitol Ideas Exclusive) Total People in Discussion: 0 Categories: Current Affairs You

Can Add ... ... freshman state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, to the ranks of Democratic lawmakers who think that embattled Majority Leader Bill DeWeese needs to give up his leadership post. "For the agenda we have this fall, we cannot be distracted by anything," DePasquale told us just moments ago."We have any energy plan to finalize and a healthcare plan that we need to focus on." With his announcement, DePasquale becomes the eighth House Democrat to call on DeWeese to surrender his leadership post. We are now trying to reach DeWeese's office for comment. DePasquale told us he was hugely disappointed by the news of last month's Bonusgate arrests and in DeWeese in particular for taking his hand off the rudder. "Clearly, as the leader of the caucus when this happened, there was certainly an inexcusable lack of focus on the management of the caucus," he said. DePasquale stopped well short of venturing into David Levdansky territory and calling on DeWeese to abandon his re-election bid. "I'm not in the position of knowing the politics of his legislative district. I'm not going to weigh in on what he should or shouldn't do. That's his call there," he said. DePasquale also seemed to leave the door open to DeWeese running again for majority leader -- assuming he survives his fall re-election fight against Republican Greg Hopkins. "When it comes to reorganizing in the fall, I can't predict," he said. DePasquale further said he was disappointed by the pot-shot DeWeese took at Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, who has also called on DeWeese to give up his leadership post. More astute readers may recall that DeWeese speculated that Shapiro had lashed out because he was upset at being (obliquely) mentioned in AG Tom Corbett's grand jury presentment. "Being a leader is very difficult, though the shot he took at Josh was not very helpful to anyone," DePasquale said. DePasquale said it was likely that Republicans might try to make political hay out of the Bonusgate arrests this fall. He also pointed out that Corbett has said there might be more arrests. "There's no question that the Republicans will try to use this in various legislative seats," he said. "But we still don't know what the attorney general is going to do. Ninety-five days in politics is an eternity." But DePasquale tried to play down the political implications with us. "My biggest issue is the fall agenda," he said.