“You know, nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance.”

“They do?”

Of course, this isn’t The Mummy and Rachel Weisz wasn’t really speaking to John Perzel, but he sure could have used the advice. To elaborate further on Mark’s post, the now former Pennsylvania House Speaker, John Perzel, met a long awaited demise today as he was replaced as House Speaker by Republican Dennis O’Brien, R-Philadelphia.

Perzel was the master architect of the now infamous Pennsylvania payraise of 2005, in which our state legislators voted themselves an egragarious 16 to 54 percent pay raise for raising our taxes, driving more of our jobs away, and steadfastly running our state into the crapper. Most of the payraise conspirators met their maker at polls in last year’s May primary and November general elections, including former Senate President, Bob Jubilirer, and former Senate Majority Leader, Chip Brightbill. However, it was predicted, correctly so, that Perzel would skate by the voters wrath being that he represents a very liberal elitist district in Philadelphia. Perzel knew his constituency would keep him around and his arrogance knew no limits. But in an unexpected turn of events today, his penance was handed down.

Although the Democrats regained the majority in the State House, it was by a mere one seat. Perzel was insistent on remaining Speaker despite the one seat difference and was convinced he could get a Democrat to defect from supporting his opponent, Democrat William DeWeese. Perzel was correct, a Reading Democrat did cross sides to support him, but what he didn’t expect were the handful of Republicans that defected from him, refusing their support in the name of government reform. Being that a minimum of 50% of the vote is required to be elected Speaker of the Pennsylvania House, neither Perzel nor DeWeese could garner the votes and so the compromise candidate was created and won.

And so what was dubbed a year and a half ago by former Bob Jubilirer Chief of Staff, Mike Long, as the “Stupid Mission” closes out 2006 with a colossal success. Most of the House and Senate leadership were either removed from their posts or kicked out of Harrisburg altogether and many of their payjacking pawns also paid the ultimate price for their dirty deeds.

Congratulations to all of us who made this possible. It was a job well done.

As we all know by now, President Ford passed away late last week and was finally laid to rest today in Grand Rapids, Michigan after a full state funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington. Ford governed as a moderate and was the last member of what has been dubbed the “Rockefeller Republicans” to ascend to the White House.

Despite his more liberal views and moderate dissatisfaction among today’s conservative wing of the GOP, I really respect Ford for never being afraid to exercise his veto pen.

Ford was more or less a small government conservative. His favorite saying in speeches was: “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.” In his 29 months as president, Ford vetoed 66 bills, mostly on the grounds they cost too much.

CBS News

He should have spent some time tutoring Dubya.

O’Brien new speaker of PA House.

A Republican from Philly the Speaker of the House of a Democratic Majority. Things in PA only get odder…

UPDATE: O’Brien will be shortly holding a press conference with two Democrats, likely to switch parties, which would be a devestating blow to Republicans who backed O’Brien over Perzel (who would’ve remained an R)

UPDATE: O’Brien did not switch parties, though its not sure whats going on with committees yet.