On the other hand, I’m personally uncomfortable with too much of a quid-pro-quo, that for every vote reliably delivered, the provision of services to the reliable vote machine improves. That’s how old city machines worked, and it sounds great until you’re in a district outside the machine. When it moves into that territory, if I like the representative and think I have good access to him, I’d actually go ahead and ask about it bluntly at the right moment in a small but public setting, to get a feel for how the person handles the problem.

At the fund-raiser I was at, Sestak was actually asked how the Democrats can run a consistently tighter ethical ship than the Republicans if they should get into power. He was pretty vague at first, but had some good thoughts as he went along. I think it’s a fair thing to push people on, especially in this region, where as Bill Bryson once noted, the “twin enthusiasm” for “corruption and incomptence” seems especially marked.

I live in a little, tightly-knit neighborhood in an urban downtown. We have a lot more clout in local politics than our numbers (around 120 families) might suggest. Partly this is due to our very active neighborhood assocation – we are a feisty and hard-working lot. (Historically, we’ve been fairly successful at fighting what I think is the good fight.) Partly this is due to the energy and resources of a young, urban professional community (time, savvy, etc.). Partly it’s due to the fact that we support our local pols – with money and votes.

It’s the money that makes me conflicted, though. Like you, I feel we should support our decent local (Deomcratic) rep. He’s a good guy, and has worked hard on behalf of his district. But what bothers me, perversely perhaps, is how much of the fruits of his labor fall to *our* neighborhood’s benefit. Our fat checks of support seem, in my view, to buy us pretty direct payoffs: services, beautification, policing, etc. I feel he’s in our corner – but mostly because he’s in our pocket.

Do you feel that supporting a rep of whom you can feel proud is fine even if (or perhaps because?) you feel you have benefited directly from his work? Do you feel Sestak will bring your district payoffs, and will you be delighted or discomfited to see and recognize them? Is this just a silly question? (I mean, some feel politicians are supposed to bring home the bacon, right?)