Can Rep. Aaron Schock’s (R-IL) physique help America understand politics? Photo courtesy of Men’s Health.

Los Angeles-based Hollywood gossip site TMZ has always had an eye on the District, but after a trip here this week by producer Harvey Levin, it looks like TMZ D.C. is closer to becoming a reality.

On TMZ Live yesterday, Levin laid out his perspective on what his new D.C.-based outpost, which he called a “personal passion,” would do. In essence, he wants to make national politics approachable by focusing on the personalities behind it.

“For too long, Washington reporting is about people within the Beltway. They’re really catering to people inside the Beltway. If there are people outside the Beltway who happen to be interested…they’d like to have them…but it’s at a high enough level that the discussions they have are just not accessible to millions and millions and millions of Americans,” he said.

“I want to make politics available to people on a personal level,” he added.

By way of example, Levin cited Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), known for being the fittest man on Capitol Hill. How exactly Schock’s abs could help enlighten a broader American audience as to the intricacies of the federal budget or better explain why Washington seems more partisan than ever is beyond us — but if Levin can find a way, we’ll certainly become quick fans.

D.C. works at a very different pace than Los Angeles, though, and while we certainly have our fair share of scandal-attracting legislators (both local and national), personality-based reporting has generally taken up a small percentage of local publications’ portfolios. Still, Levin argued this week that part of the problem may be that local journalists are too concerned with access to really dig into the juiciest of scandals. Maybe. Or maybe journalists here understand that not every coming-and-going of a congressman or rumors of infidelity are newsworthy, much less would they make politics in this city any more polite or productive.

Levin didn’t give an exact date that he planned to launch, but he did hint that he’d be looking to hire people soon. Dust off those resumes, journalists.