Hey, what happened?

A week or so after it happened, Gov. Rendell suddenly notices the shocking moves by Harrisburg leadership to shift around committee asignments based on pay-raise votes (see previous here). Three different takes from the players:

1. Rep. Thomas F. Yewcic of Cambria County, who lost his post as chairman of the economic development subcommittee, said in an interview with the Associated Press yesterday: "We were told before the pay-raise vote that if people voted against it, we would be removed. It was punishment."
   
   
2. At an impromptu news conference, Rendell called it "unfair and inappropriate" to retaliate against lawmakers who did not support the 16 percent pay raise, which was approved earlier this month before the General Assembly recessed for the summer.
   Welcome to the party, Ed!
   
   
3. [House Minority Leader] DeWeese's chief of staff, Mike Manzo, yesterday defended the action as a way to reward some of the 61 Democrats who voted for the raise.
   
   "We recognized those who voted 'yes' " and supported Democratic leadership on the bill, said Manzo. "This was not a move designed to punish or single out others."
   . . .
   Manzo said DeWeese, who controls a $19 million budget that pays expenses for House Democrats, could have punished members by cutting spending for their offices and staff - as he has done in the past - but did not.
   I'm sure they're glad they still have their heads too.

Not sure whether the sudden news coverage (and subsequent gubenatorial notice) will make anything happen, but it might help with subsequent pressure on minimum wage and good government fronts.

Update: columnists continue to pile up the finger-wagging: John Grogan on the worsening outrage, and an Inquirer Editorial about DeWeese's whip-cracking:

When he argued in favor of the pay raise several weeks ago, DeWeese said it would attract "high-minded and intelligent" young people into politics. They will be led, unfortunately, by the same old assortment of hacks who rule by wielding the lowest common denominator.

Yeeowch!