Expression of the Night: "Who's your rabbi?"

"Who's your rabbi?"--Who gives you your work? Who gave you your start in the business? The most interesting explanation I've heard for this expression was that it was from the Lower East Side of the early 20th century. The rabbis of the local synagogues would have their congregants vote in blocs. You could grab a Jewish man on the Lower East Side and ask him, "Who's your rabbi?" When he told you, you'd know what party or candidate he was voting for.