Politicians Behaving Badly

Don't say Kirby Delauter when talking about Kirby Delauter. Kirby Delauter doesn't like it. Kirby Delauter.

A city councilman in Washington, Pa., where they apparently don't value good grammar or common sense, used the city's emergency alert system to, well, out his friend.

Pennsylvania pols are failing to quiet a voter revolt that won't go away. Lawmakers for a second time voted to repeal a stealth raise that awarded some of them a 34% pay increase before they were constitutionally allowed to receive it. Lawmakers took the money in the form of unvouchered "expense" reimbursements. Judges and some executive-branch employees also received raises.

In an act of self-preservation, the Pennsylvania State Senate last night voted unanimously to repeal its latest pay package.

Here's a cautionary tale for Republicans everywhere. Machiavelli would be proud of Ted Gatsas, an ambitious GOP member of the New Hampshire state senate, where the chamber's president resigned his leadership post last month after a row with Mr. Gatsas that split the GOP caucus and rallied Democrats to one faction's side. As a result, Mr. Gatsas is the new Senate president.

Sex, money and power make for the best political stories, and U.S. Senator Jon Corzine's admission that he forgave a sizable loan to former girlfriend and powerful state union boss Carla Katz meets those criteria. Now we're learning that the two live in the same tony Hoboken high-rise; the house that Ms. Katz bought with Mr. Corzine's money is empty. Ms. Katz's union has endorsed Mr. Corzine's candidacy for New Jersey governor.

Where is a pay raise not a salary increase? In Pennsylvania, where last month the State Legislature voted to give itself more money. This week the checks started rolling in, and voters are fuming that lawmakers and Governor Ed Rendell did an end-run around the state constitution.

New Jersey's two gubernatorial candidates, Republican Doug Forrester and Democrat Jon Corzine, both say the key to a healthy budget is ending the financial shenanigans that they call the "corruption tax." A good place to start would be the state's under-funded and over-abused employee pension plan.

U.S. Senator Jon Corzine has just discovered an unexpected opponent in his campaign for the New Jersey governor's office: Potty-mouthed Democratic political boss George Norcross III.

Republican Pat Browne won a special election in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley to fill a vacant State Senate seat. He earned 53% of the vote. His competitor, Democrat Jennifer Mann, will remain in the State House.