The outrage directed at the Pennsylvania General Assembly since a controversial vote nearly three years ago now appears to be dead — or at least experiencing labored breathing.

That observation is valid in the wake of Tuesday's state legislative balloting. The anger that followed the July 2005 middle-of-the-night pay-raise vote that resulted in the demise of at least a couple dozen legislative careers in 2006 failed to mobilize voters for this year's primary election.

Perhaps state voters were distracted by the presidential campaign.

If the unhappiness over how things are done at the state Capitol had continued to play out on Tuesday, the following messages of 2006 to the General Assembly would have been repeated:

"Represent the people's best interests, not your own. Halt the petty partisanship that prevents important work from getting done efficiently and expeditiously. And, follow the legislative guidelines spelled out in the state constitution."

Now that the presidential nominating process has moved on from this state, it's a good time to ponder whether there's any possibility for remnants of the 2006 voter uprising — in which 24 incumbents lost — to play out during the Nov. 4 general election.

Based on Tuesday's results, that's probably not likely, since the presidential battle will continue dominating the election landscape. However, voters should seize any opportunity to remind candidates for legislative seats that the people who will be going to the polls haven't forgotten the pay-raise vote that triggered so much anger, prompting lawmakers' eventual repeal of that vote.

The situation surrounding the 25 state Senate seats on the ballots this year provided evidence months ago that the anti-incumbency mood of two years ago had moderated. None of the 25 senators whose terms expire this year faced any primary election opposition from within their own parties, unlike 2006, when the primary election nominating process claimed several long-term legislative leaders, including Senate President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer of Blair County.

Meanwhile, in the House on Tuesday, 25 incumbents defeated challengers. Only one House member lost, Rep. Harold James, D-Phila., a 20-year legislative veteran.

Two Eastern Pennsylvania Demo-cratic incumbents failed to mount successful write-in campaigns Tuesday after being thrown off their district's ballots because of defective nominating petitions.

There could be uncertain election waters for some incumbents in the fall, but the 2005 pay-raise action has lost its power to anger voters. The pending uncertainty stems from findings from what has become known as the "Bonusgate" scandal.

The handing-down of indictments against lawmakers for paying big bonuses to legislative staffers for illegal campaign work, if those indictments are in fact issued, could shorten some legislative careers.

Meanwhile, if Sen. Bob Regola, R-Westmoreland, is convicted of perjury this summer in connection with a shooting death involving his gun, his seat would become vacant, since a conviction would require him to leave the Senate.

Based on the mood of state voters in the months following lawmakers' 2005 pay-raise fiasco, and then throughout 2006, there appeared to be hope that life would remain more precarious for Keystone State lawmakers seeking re-election. Unfortunately, Tuesday indicated that the storm might have passed.

However, right-thinking voters should reject the notion that, once elected, a lawmaker is entitled to consider himself or herself a "legislator for life." Questionable, lackluster or self-serving performance should be rewarded with defeat.

July 2005 and "Bonusgate" are examples of how lawmakers, too comfortable over their legislative longevity, became prone to stupid actions.

Incumbent lawmakers and others seeking legislative seats must be reminded that outrage, while maybe now in the background, remains at the voters' fingertips, if needed.