CHICAGO, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- "Winning is everything," according to Rep. Rahm Emanuel.
The second-term congressman from Illinois' 5th Congressional District has been tapped to lead the Democratic Party's attack to regain control of the U.S. House in the midterm 2006 elections.
While his rapid rise to top minority party leadership positions in the House and the party has largely been overshadowed by the arrival of Sen. Barack Obama, also from Illinois, on the national scene, the savvy Emanuel has been working hard at home and in Washington for decades.
"Some people argue about old Democrats and new Democrats," Emanuel said in Washington Sunday after being named the new chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The committee recruits candidates to run for Congress and raises funds to support their campaigns.
"This is about winning campaigns. I come from the Vince Lombardi school: 'Winning is everything,'" said Emanuel, referring to the legendary Green Bay Packers football coach.
Aggressive and street-smart, Emanuel may be relatively new to the House, but he has a long political resume and was a senior adviser in the Clinton White House. During his first term, Emanuel, 45, joined Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich as a point man in a coalition of state officials pressuring the Food and Drug Administration to permit legal importation of lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada.
Emanuel co-sponsored prescription-drug legislation in the House and appeared with the governors of Wisconsin, Missouri and Minnesota at news conferences and summits on the issue.
The former consumer-rights activist for Illinois Public Action was a political adviser to President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1999 as first assistant for political affairs and then served as senior adviser for policy and strategy.
Emanuel was active in a number of campaigns including the late Sen. Paul Simon's 1984 election and was chief fundraiser for Richard M. Daley's victorious 1989 campaign for mayor of Chicago before he signed on as director of finance helping to revive Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.
"I've known Rahm for more than 20 years and he has always been a fighter for Democratic values, even before he was first elected to Congress," said outgoing Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe in a statement. "With Rahm now using his talents to help Democratic candidates across the country, I know we will take back the House in 2006."
Regarded as a shrewd strategist, Emanuel succeeds the late Rep. Robert T. Matsui, D-Calif., in the party leadership role. Matsui died New Year's Day of a rare bone-marrow disease.
"I'm proud that someone with such passion and leadership will be continuing the work of our friend Bob Matsui at the DCCC," said McAuliffe.
Matsui had been preparing to lead House opposition to President George W. Bush's plans to permit limited private investment of a portion of Social Security payroll taxes.
Emanuel succeeded Blagojevich as representative from the 5th District on Chicago's Northwest Side in 2002 and was chosen as Democratic whip for his freshman Democratic class. He was re-elected Nov. 2 with 78 percent of the vote.
Last week Emanuel was named to the powerful House Ways and Means Committee by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. Ways and Means has jurisdiction over economic and tax policy, Social Security, Medicare, healthcare, welfare and trade policy.
"Over the next two years, the committee's work to reform Social Security will be among the most important legislation impacting Chicago families, indeed all American families," Emanuel said.
Pelosi said she believes Emanuel's leadership skills are just what beleaguered Democrats need after Sen. John Kerry's loss in the presidential race.
"House Democrats are focused and determined to win a majority in the House in 2006," Pelosi said, although some Illinois politicians fear Emanuel's take-no-prisoners style could undermine unity in Illinois' congressional delegation headed by House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert.
Hastert, an affable former high school wrestling coach who became so-called accidental speaker when he succeeded Newt Gingrich, is a top Republican, and the state congressional delegation has been able to work cooperatively on legislation benefiting Illinois because of a history of good relationships between moderate Democrats and Republicans.
"If winning is everything for him, that means getting rid of Speaker Hastert, and that is bad for Illinois," John Feehery, spokesman for the popular House speaker, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the new Senate Democratic Whip, mentored Emanuel and says he is not an average sophomore congressman. The character of the White House aide fast on the draw with one-liners in the Emmy-winning NBC program "The West Wing" reportedly was loosely based on Emanuel.
Emanuel has his work cut out for him. Democrats have not had a majority in the House since Clinton's first term in 1994.
"Rahm knows this country, its people and its politics from the neighborhoods up, which has been key to his success and will be a key to ours in 2006," said Pelosi. "Rahm is a master strategist with the expertise and passion to build on the foundation that our dear friend Bob Matsui built during the last two years."
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