When he was asked to describe Pennsylvania, Washington political consultant James Carville, who helped elect Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey and U.S. Sen. Harris Wofford, once declared that the state was "Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between." On another occasion, he added: "Pennsylvania is two cities separated by Alabama." Carville's now famous maxim succinctly expressed the conventional wisdom--then and now: Pennsylvania is a culturally conservative state where tradition is strong, change is slow, and fundamental beliefs are enduring. In truth, that description of the state culture was probably fair for much of the 20th century. [continues 636 words]