You leave out a very important point, which is the secularization of the once-Catholic population in the northeast itself, and the hostility or passivity of such ancestral Catholics in those regions. Catholics are a majority of the population in liberal Rhode Island, and a plurality in most of New England and the Mid-Atlantic, yet the Church no longer has the political power, or hold over the population, that it did from the 1920s-1960s (the peak of Catholic political/cultural influence in the northeast). Folks like Dolan can take strong public stances, but they do not have the power to deliver (or subtract) votes like they used to as the regions/populations they represent have become highly secularized.
Clemenza:
Yes, now that I think about it, you are correct. There has been a collapse in the Catholic cultural of the Northeast as many Catholics there have been seduced by secularism, so I do agree with you. Not being from up that way and having only travelled to New York City, I sort of forgot to analyze the ratio of practicing/Mass attending Catholics in that region versus the more cafeteria types.
Yet, I still hope that Bishops like Dolan, Tobin, etc can start to help turn the tide up there.