WASHINGTON, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Democrats are creating campaigns to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives because they say the national party leadership is inept, aides say.
U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., plans to ask lawmakers and donors to help fund a new voter-turnout program run by House Democrats, The Washington Post reports.
"I am not waiting for anyone anymore who said they were going to" build a turnout operation, Emanuel said. "It has got to be done."
He and other Democrats believe Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean has his priorities mixed up, Democratic aides tell the Post.
Dean says the party needs to rebuild its long-term infrastructure nationwide while at the same time trying to win the House and Senate. Emanuel and other congressional Democrats want to use party resources for an all-out push in the most competitive House and Senate races this fall.
Many Democrats consider the 2006 elections their best chance in a decade to recapture the House, with widespread unease over Iraq and with Republicans lagging in polls.
