This is a tough post to write. Almost five years ago, I was frustrated with the scope and quality of political news in Pennsylvania. I had just graduated college and was temping while I waited to start graduate school.

I decided to dust off my rusty HTML skills and start a new website. After brainstorming with some friends, we decided it would be called Keystone Politics - designed to directly compete with PoliticsPA (as if that's a surprise). This was during Howard Dean's heyday, when we were just beginning to see the potential of the internet as a tool to facilitate political discussion. Every day for five years, we've done our best to bring a unique perspective to Pennsylvania politics.

So it's with a heavy heart that I have to inform you that Friday was Keystone Politics' final day of publication.

My first post, which I'll never forget, was about former state Senator Vince Fumo vacationing for years on a yacht owned by the Independence Seaport Museum. When their yacht (and really, what museum has a yacht?) was in drydock for repairs, Fumo demanded they lease him another one. It's tough to vacation in Martha's Vineyard without a yacht. It was clear then that Fumo was a corrupt bastard, but little did I know that five years later, the story would still be going strong.

Though I've spent most of those years in Washington and New York, I still think Pennsylvania has one of the most corrupt governments I've ever seen, with rampant, barely-concealed cronyism and graft from the smallest local borough right up through the capitol in Harrisburg. Very little that happens in your government is what it seems, and very little of it is honest. Sometimes that ends up benefiting you as citizens, but if so, it's pure happenstance.

As for us, it's time to move on to other projects. Rob will, as always, continue to be a player in PA politics. I'll undoubtedly still be present in the online publishing world, but it's time for me to leave Pennsylvania politics behind. We'll be leaving the site online indefinitely, along with the archives, as a historical record of the past five years of PA politics.

Most importantly I need to send out a big thank you - to Rob, to all of our contributors over the years, and to our readers. You've all made this a great place to develop political discussions online and I've appreciated your guidance and opinions over the years.

Best wishes,
Greg

Keystone Politics was started by Greg Palmer nearly five years ago to better inform Pennsylvania voters about the political issues and campaigns. At the time, there were only a handful of political websites reaching out reaching this audience. Although the internet was growing, most political observers were still getting their news from their local newspapers. Keystone Politics stepped into a void of news coverage with a mix of original content and aggregated news from across the state.

In the more recent past we have a seen a drastic switch in that dynamic. Increasingly, political news and views are emanating from original content on blogs around the state. We have seen sites and bloggers come and go; watched newspapers decrease staff, lose circulation and decrease impact. Meanwhile, a vibrant community of bloggers continues to break down the barriers of our society to better inform readers.

Since joining Greg a few years ago as a contributing writer and later as Executive Editor, I have observed the shape of Pennsylvania change drastically. We now see many candidates and government agencies reaching out online in way that was unthinkable five years ago. While we cannot take credit for that in any way, I only hope that we played some small part in opening the world of politics to Pennsylvanians.

Greg and I sat down over the weekend to discuss the future of Keystone Politics. Both of our lives have moved forward in different directions and neither one of us can dedicate the amount of time to KP as we used to. We discussed the changes in how the web reaches Pennsylvania's political observers and what role KP could play in the future.

Ultimately, we decided to discontinue active posting to Keystone Politics entirely. This was not easy for either of us, but I feel that some of the newer voices on the web can fill any void we leave behind. Moreover, I am enthusiastic about some recent changes in the political and internet landscape that I feel will continue to provide effective coverage on the Pennsylvania political world.

I want to personally thank every reader, contributor, all of the great bloggers around the state, and the collection of reporters who allowed us to spread your work to a larger audience. Without this unique dynamic of players we could not have done this for so long. Most of all, I want thank Greg for creating this site and allowing me to be a part of it.

As for me, I will continue my political activities and I suspect you will see me resurface to inflict some harsh commentary upon Pennsylvanians.

Take Care,
Rob