Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) made a recess visit to speak with the Swarthmore College Democrats Monday afternoon. He gave a brief report on how he has been fulfilling his campaign pledges since taking office in January. Then he took questions for most of an hour from the audience of 40-50 students and other members of the College community.

Sestak fielded questions from the audience on topics as diverse as extraordinary rendition, foreign aid, and libraries. A number of the questions focused on energy policy, global warming and the environment. (On those matters, Sestak notes that he’s co-sponsoring bills to raise the CAFE standard, and two different bills on global warming that are supported by the Sierra Club. He’d also spent time today talking with local experts on issues relating to improved management of our troubled Delaware County watersheds.) Sestak also discussed Iraq, and his view of Congress’ constitutional role in oversight and management of the war. He referenced the need to fix and extend No Child Left Behind before it is reauthorized this year. And, of course, he was asked about his recent controversial appearance at a CAIR banquet. (On that front, Joe encourages those with concerns about his appearance to at least judge him on his full remarks.)

My personal observations about Joe are that he is more at ease and less programmed than he was as a candidate. He gave answers that were more off the cuff, and he told a few light anecdotes and jokes. He’s still prone to long, meandering explanations on some topics where a simple statement of conviction is all that’s required. (His answer on the role of Congress in oversight of the war included a story of George Washington, Tom Delay’s questioning of his patriotism on Meet the Press, and a listing of the specific war power in the Constitution.) Were I able to bend his ear, I would keep encouraging him that his answers will be more powerful and direct if he can keep them short and from the heart.

Nevertheless, we have to recognize that this is no ordinary freshman legislator. He has thrown himself into the fray with a great deal of vigor and dedication. He’s sticking to his guns on tough issues and staking out his claim to influence processes in the House and the Democratic Caucus. He’s bringing high-ranking officials to the district to hear from our citizens. He’s following through with votes that match campaign pledges. I’m most impressed that he’s assumed the Vice Chairmanship of the Small Business Committee as a freshman, which is a tremendous platform for working on economic development–something that Delaware County seriously needs to stave off the slow drain of jobs and workers.

After decades of one-party representation, it’s also simply refreshing to have a Democrat in Congress to come talk to the loyal progressives at ol’ Swarthmore. (We were liberal when liberal wasn’t cool.)