"Obama Out of Touch With Pennsylvania? Every Major Paper There Backs Him"

"While Beltway pundits and others in the national press have alleged that Barack Obama is clearly and obviously out of touch with most not-so-bitter Pennsylvanians, leading newspapers in the state, who ought to know better, seem to disagree.

In recent days Obama has picked up the endorsements of every major paper in the state and many smaller ones.

Papers endorsing Obama include: The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Daily News, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Allentown Morning Call, The Patriot News of Harrisburg, the Scranton Times-Tribune and Bucks County Courier.

Hillary Clinton's endorsements have been far fewer, such as the Daily Pennsylvanian -- the University of Pennsylvania paper, which drew a lot of coverage yesterday. The daily in Wilkes-Barre said it is not endorsing at all.

My mom was born and raised in Lock Haven, Pa., and I spent a lot of time growing up in that central part of the state -- even going hunting with the relatives when I was about ten. So I have followed the race there closely.

Imagine Clinton's chagrin when her "hometown" Scranton paper wrote: "In a nomination campaign that has defied convention, Mr. Obama has energized an entire generation of voters that, for the most part, otherwise had checked out of political participation. That, at least, portends a new approach to governance that can help to dissipate the political miasma that has engulfed Washington at least since the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton."

The Philadelphia Daily News -- the so-called "peoples' paper" -- had this to say:

"Should Democrats choose someone who will employ hard-won -- even bitter - experiences gained in a past Democratic administration, or reach beyond political truisms toward a new (and untried) model of governing? "Neither choice is obvious. Perhaps that's why the race has gone on for so long.

"But the long slog through 44 primaries and caucuses has confirmed for us that Sen. Barack Obama's vision of change -- and the way he plans to pursue it -- is what we need right now. Badly."

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