Serene despite the talk of financial upheaval that has buffeted it lately, the Mashantucket Pequot Indian reservation bore a striking resemblance Thursday to other places where democracy is scheduled to play out next week. Fallen leaves colored the ground and stuck to less-traveled roadways. Campaign placards sprouted near parking lots and intersections. Tidy and well-manicured, it could have passed for an upscale subdivision anywhere in Connecticut.