A comment of mine re. "What's Wrong with Pennsylvania" on the NY Times site...

[markpkessinger]

Below is the text of a comment I posted to an article published on Sunday in The New York Times titled, "What's Wrong with Pennsylvania?". I guess I struck a chord: 400 recommendations and top billing in the Editor's Picks!

I grew up in north central Pennsylvania (Clinton County), and still have many family and friends who live there. I can tell you there is yet something else that ultimately works against Republicans, and, by extension, Romney, in the state. That is, the extreme identification of the GOP with hardline, evangelical fundamentalists and their social agenda. Pennsylvania is certainly not the most socially liberal state in the union, but neither is it the most conservative. Candidates (or parties) who seek to promote a theocratic agenda may achieve a degree of electoral success for a time, but PA voters, as a whole, are generally uneasy with religious zealots. Former Senator Rick Santorum is a prime example of this.

Sept. 24, 2012 at 3:04 a.m.

[Indpndnt]

1. Nicely done! You really nailed that issue with so many responses.

[markpkessinger]

2. Thanks! n/t

[Skittles]

3. EXCELLENT!!!

[markpkessinger]

5. Thanks! n/t

[Marie Marie]

4. From a fellow Pennsylvanian, Thank you.

Well said.

[markpkessinger]

6. It's funny ...

... I have lived in NYC for 30 years (since college), and have often found that the Pennsylvania electorate is simply not well understood by the political commentariat.

[ErikJ]

7. Its not fair..

to us in the west. By the time I'm getting to the computer in the morn the comments section are already closed most of the times. Good job though! That's why I prefer to comment on the WaPo. It never closes comments and is kind of like a balls to the walls free for all compared to the NYTimes.