I traveled to Long Island and Connecticut this week to report on some House races, and found that all three Democratic congressmen I covered — John Himes, Chris Murphy, and Rob Bishop — began their remarks by defending the Wall Street bailout.

My column today discusses these races and this phenomenon, but I never got to make it to New York’s 19th District where Rep. John Hall (D) faces a tough reelection. Turns out, the Gannett papers there think Hall’s TARP vote is one reason voters should re-elect him: