Black Democrats in Philadelphia barely had regained consciousness from the shellacking we took in the midterm elections earlier this month when, on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, we felt the other shoe drop—this time in Harrisburg.
The latest calamity though couldn’t be blamed on Republicans (flush with their Election Day capture of the House of Representatives). Rather, it was Democrats (Philly Democrats to make matters even worse), who voted to exorcise the most able black state legislator from one of the most powerful positions in the state capital.
Just weeks after an election day that saw Democrats once again lose control of the governor’s mansion and the state house, West Oak Lane State Representative Dwight Evans lost his chairmanship of the Appropriations Committee when his party’s caucus swept in an entire new leadership team.
When the legislature convenes in January, for the first time in recent memory, there won’t be a single Philadelphian or an African American office holder in any position of real power.
The backbone of the state’s Democratic Party, giving more than 95% of our votes for the Democrats running for governor and the U.S. Senate, African Americans have been shut out of every decision making parley that will take place in the capital over the next two years.
The absence of Representative Evans from legislative leadership will be especially critical at budget time, when the new Republican Governor, Tom Corbett, has to live up to his promise of “no new taxes” when Pennsylvania’s long term deficit already tops $5 billion.
Evans has been a gifted bridge builder, who along with outgoing Democratic Governor Ed Rendell, cobbled together late-night compromises that enabled the state to craft yearly spending plans to maintain basic services while also dramatically increasing the Pennsylvania’s contribution to public education.
How Philadelphia will fare in a General Assembly dominated by politicians from Allegheny County is anybody’s guess. But, don’t be surprised if come next spring there is a lot less money for the elderly, the sick and the young on this side of the Commonwealth.
With the loss of Evans, who will pick up the city’s banner in those critical late night budget deal-making sessions? Who will be there to escort the mayor on his rounds of legislative offices?
Making a budget in a democracy has been compared to sausage making. Who will be there to protect city from getting mangled in the process?
In case you hadn’t heard, four Philadelphia Democratic legislators helped unseat Evans. They are Rosita Youngblood, Angel Cruz, Bill Keller and Michael O’Brien.
A lot of political people today are talking loud about unseating this “Gang of Four” in two years as payback for weakening the city’s clout in Harrisburg. I agree they should be dumped.
But the intense anger many feel today will be hard to keep warm for 18 months. Philadelphia voters are notorious for their short attention spans.
This newspaper though has a long memory. A year and a half from now, we hope we won’t be alone.
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