Kansas and Conservatism

A reader writes:

I read your post quoting Steve Rose’s editorial from The Johnson County Sun, which you refer to as 'a small paper in Kansas.' Technically, your description may be true (I don’t know The Sun’s circulation, but it’s published once a week in an area where The Kansas City Star is the dominant daily), but that paper isn’t at all typical of the state.  Johnson County is an affluent county that is part of the Kansas City metro, and Rose has long been a sophisticated player in local publishing and politics.  JoCo’s demographics and attitudes are far different from rural and western Kansas.  They have a Democratic congressman (Dennis Moore) and popular District Attorney who has actually switched parties to take a run at the state’s luddite arch-conservative Attorney General.  The big news would come if a paper in Hays or Hoxie ran a similar piece.  Don’t hold your breath.

Ponnuru is also on the case.