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Rahm Emanuel

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Rahm Emanuel
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2003
Preceded byRod Blagojevich
Personal details
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAmy Rule
ChildrenZacharias Emanuel
Ilana Emanuel
Leah Emanuel
ResidenceChicago, Illinois
Alma materSarah Lawrence College, Northwestern University
Occupationpolitical assistant, policy researcher

Rahm Emanuel (born November 29, 1959) has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2003, representing Illinois's 5th congressional district which covers much of the north side of Chicago and parts of suburban Cook County.

Emanuel was chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the 2006 elections. After the Democratic Party regained control of the House, he was elected as the next chairman of the Democratic Caucus. He is the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, behind Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Leader Steny Hoyer and Whip Jim Clyburn.[1]

Emanuel is noted for his strong style and his fundraising prowess.[2] He is co-author with current Democratic Leadership Council President Bruce Reed of the 2006 book The Plan: Big Ideas for America. He is a member of the New Democrat Coalition. On November 6, 2008, President-Elect Barack Obama asked him to become Chief of Staff in his new administration, which Emanuel accepted.[3][4][5][6]

Career as political staffer

He began his political career with the public interest and consumer rights organization Illinois Public Action. He went on to serve in a number of capacities in local and national politics, initially specializing in fundraising for Illinois campaigns and then nationally.[citation needed]

Emanuel worked for Democrat Paul Simon's 1984 election to the U.S. Senate, was the national campaign director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 1988, and then was senior advisor and chief fundraiser for Richard M. Daley's victorious campaign for Mayor of Chicago in 1989.[citation needed]

At the start of then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton's presidential primary campaign Emanuel was appointed to direct the campaign's finance committee. Emanuel left to volunteer as a civilian volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces during the 1991 Gulf War, serving in one of Israel's northern bases, rust-proofing brakes.[7][8]

Emanuel then re-joined Clinton's campaign, serving as Director of Finance. Emanuel insisted that Clinton schedule a lot of time for fundraising and greatly delay campaigning in New Hampshire. After much dispute within the campaign about the issue, Clinton eventually agreed, embarking on an aggressive fundraising campaign across the nation. The fundraising paid off later, providing the campaign a vital buffer to keep buying television time as attacks on Clinton's character threatened to swamp the campaign during the New Hampshire primary.[citation needed]

Clinton's most serious primary rival, Paul Tsongas (the New Hampshire Democratic primary winner in 1992), later withdrew, citing a lack of campaign funds. Richard Mintz, a Washington public relations consultant who worked with Emanuel on the campaign, spoke about the soundness of the idea: "It was that million dollars that really allowed the campaign to withstand the storm we had to ride out in New Hampshire [over Clinton's relationship with Gennifer Flowers and the controversy over his draft status during the Vietnam War]."[9] Emanuel's knowledge of the top donors in the country, and his rapport with potential donors within the Jewish community helped Clinton amass a then-unheard-of $72 million.[9]

Following the campaign, Emanuel became a senior advisor to Clinton at the White House from 1993 to 1998. In the White House, Emanuel was initially Assistant to the President for Political Affairs and then Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Strategy. He was a leading strategist in the unsuccessful White House efforts to institute universal healthcare and many other Clinton initiatives.[10]

One of his proudest moments during the Clinton administration "was an event that touched his political sensibilities and his personal ties to Israel: the 1993 Rose Garden signing ceremony after the Oslo Accords between Israel and Palestine. Emanuel directed the details of the ceremony, down to the choreography of the famous handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat."[9]

At this point of his political career he was known for his intensity. Notably, he reportedly told British Prime Minister Tony Blair, prior to Blair appearing in public with Clinton for the first time after the Lewinsky scandal, "This is important. Don't fuck it up."[10] Emanuel is said to have "mailed a rotting fish to a former coworker after the two parted ways."[9] On the night after the 1996 election, "Emanuel was so angry at the president's enemies that he stood up at a celebratory dinner with colleagues from the campaign, grabbed a steak knife and began rattling off a list of betrayers, shouting 'Dead! ... Dead! ... Dead!' and plunging the knife into the table after every name."[2] His "take-no-prisoners attitude" earned him the nickname "Rahm-bo".[9]

People who worked with Emanuel at that time "insist the once hard-charging staffer has mellowed out." He left the White House to accept a well-paid position at Dresdner Kleinwort investment bank in Chicago, where he worked from 1999 to 2002 and reportedly earned US$18 million.[11]

Congressional career

Emanuel represents Chicago's North Side, and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. He received 78 percent of the vote in this Democratic stronghold in the 2006 election.[citation needed]

Election in 2002

Rep. John Dingell and Rep. Emanuel sharing paczki

The U.S. House seat in the 5th District of Illinois was previously held by Rod Blagojevich, who chose not to run for re-election, but instead successfully ran for Governor of Illinois. Emanuel chose to run for this seat.

His strongest opponent of the seven other candidates in the 2002 Democratic primary — the real contest in this heavily Democratic district — was former Illinois State Representative Nancy Kaszak, who had unsuccessfully opposed Blagojevich in the 1996 primary. The most controversial moment of the primary election came when Edward Moskal, president of the Polish American Congress, a political action committee endorsing Kaszak, called Emanuel a "millionaire carpetbagger who knows nothing" about "our heritage." Moskal also falsely charged that Emanuel had dual citizenship with Israel and had served in the Israeli Army.[12]

Emanuel brought together a coalition of Chicago clergy to denounce the incident. He recalled, "One of the proudest moments of my life was seeing people of my district from all backgrounds demonstrate our common values by coming together in response to this obvious attempt to divide them."[9] Moskal's comments were denounced as anti-Semitic by many, including Kaszak.[12] Emanuel won the primary and easily defeated Republican candidate Mark Augusti in the general election. Emanuel supported the October 2002 joint Congressional resolution authorizing the Iraq War, differentiating himself from all nine other Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional delegation (Sen. Richard Durbin, Reps. Bobby Rush, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Bill Lipinski, Luis Gutiérrez, Danny K. Davis, Jan Schakowsky, Jerry Costello and Evans) elected in 2002.[13]

DCCC chairman

Emanuel was named the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2005. Prior to his work for Clinton, Emanuel had been an employee of the Committee, which principally serves to recruit candidates for the House and to raise funds to assist both new candidates and incumbents from the Democratic party in an effort to gain Democratic representation in the House.[citation needed]

He declared that in his new role "winning is everything", and he urged Democratic candidates to adopt more centrist positions.[citation needed] Emanuel was known to have had disagreements over Democratic election strategy with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. Dean favored a "50 state strategy", building support for the Democratic Party over the long term, while Emanuel believed a more tactical approach, focusing attention on key districts, was necessary to ensure victory.[14]

Ultimately the Democratic Party enjoyed considerable success in the 2006 elections, gaining 30 seats in the House. Emanuel has received considerable praise for his stewardship of the DCCC during this election cycle, even from Illinois Republican Rep. Ray LaHood who said "He legitimately can be called the golden boy of the Democratic Party today. He recruited the right candidates, found the money and funded them, and provided issues for them. Rahm did what no one else could do in seven cycles."[15] Nevertheless, some of the 2006 victories came in areas that had trended strongly Republican in recent years, such as Nancy Boyda's defeat of Jim Ryun in Kansas.[citation needed]

Emanuel still is close to Bill Clinton and as the chairman of the DCCC talked strategy with him at least once a month.[16] He declared in April 2006 that he would support Hillary Rodham Clinton should she pursue the presidency in 2008. However, Emanuel's loyalties came into conflict when his home-state senator Barack Obama expressed interest in the race; asked in January 2007 about his stance on the Democratic presidential nomination, he said: "I'm hiding under the desk. I'm very far under the desk, and I'm bringing my paper and my phone."[17]

House leadership

After his role in helping the Democrats to win the 2006 elections, Emanuel was believed to be a leading candidate for the position of Majority Whip. Nancy Pelosi, who became the next Speaker of the House, persuaded him not to challenge Jim Clyburn, but instead to succeed Clyburn in the role of Democratic Caucus Chairman. In return, Pelosi agreed to assign the caucus chair more responsibilities, including "aspects of strategy and messaging, incumbent retention, policy development and rapid-response communications".[18] Caucus vice-chair John Larson remained in this role instead of running for the chairman position.[19]

After U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney asserted that he did not fall within the bounds of orders set for the executive branch, Emanuel called for cutting off the $4.8 million the Executive Branch provides for the Vice President's office. Cheney's office subsequently backed down from the claim.[20]

Political views

During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel "indicated his support of President Bush's position on Iraq, but said he believed the president needed to better articulate his position to the American people."[9] Inspired by his pediatrician father, one of the major goals he spoke of during the race was "to help make health care affordable and available for all Americans."[9]

Emanuel has maintained a 100 percent pro-choice voting record and is generally liberal on social issues. He has aligned himself with the Democratic Leadership Council and the party's centrist wing, but is not among its more conservative members.[citation needed]

Rahm Emanuel endorses the United States Public Service Academy Act.[citation needed]

According to Fox News, in accordance with his deep Jewish roots and volunteering in Israel when it was under attack from Saddam Hussein's missiles in the first Gulf War, he has indicated consistent support for Israel. In a November 2008 article it claims that while expressing empathy for Palestinians, Emanuel has explicitly condemned their leaders. [21] In June 2007, Emanuel condemned an outbreak of Palestinian violence in the Gaza Strip and criticized Arab countries for not applying the same kind of pressure on the Palestinians as they have on Israel. "Fatah and Hamas are tearing the Palestinian area of the Gaza strip apart in what they call a political rivalry, and the Palestinian people are paying a price for Palestinian violence," he said at the time. "Governments from around the world and the Arab world have said nothing. ... I just want you to think for a second, if this were the result of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities, would the international silence and the silence of the Arab world be this deafening?" At a 2003 pro-Israel rally in Chicago, Emanuel told the marchers Israel was ready for peace but would not get there until Palestinians "turn away from the path of terror," according to the Chicago Tribune.

Controversies

An article from 2006 raised speculation regarding a possible connection between Emanuel's Congressional election success and convicted former Chicago water department boss Don Tomczak.[22]

USA Today reported in late January 2007 that Emanuel failed to disclose that he was an officer of a family charity, [23] a violation of law requiring members of Congress to report non-profit leadership roles.[citation needed]

Committee assignments

White House Chief of Staff

In 2008 Emmanuel accepted the position of chief of staff for president elect Barack Obama. [6][24]

Electoral history

U.S. House, 5th District of Illinois (General Election)
Year Winning candidate Party Pct Opponent Party Pct Opponent Party Pct
2002 Rahm Emanuel Democratic 67% Mark Augusti Republican 29% Frank Gonzalez Libertarian 4%
2004 Rahm Emanuel (inc.) Democratic 76% Bruce Best Republican 24%
2006 Rahm Emanuel (inc.) Democratic 78% Kevin White Republican 22%
2008 Rahm Emanuel (inc.) Democratic 74% Tom Hanson Republican 22%

Personal life

Rahm Emanuel (Hebrew: רם עמנואל) was born in Chicago, Illinois. His father, the Jerusalem-born Benjamin M. Emanuel, is a pediatrician and his mother, Martha Smulevitz, worked as an X-ray technician and was the daughter of a local union organizer.[2] She became a civil rights activist; she was also once the owner of a Chicago-area rock and roll club.[25] The two met in Chicago in the 1950s.[26] Emanuel's older brother, Ezekiel, is a noted oncologist and bioethicist, and his brother, Ari, is a talent agent in Los Angeles and inspired Jeremy Piven's character Ari Gold on the HBO series Entourage.[2] Emanuel himself is also the inspiration for the character Josh Lyman on The West Wing.[2] He also has a younger sister named Shoshanna, 14 years his junior.[2]

When his family lived in Chicago, he attended Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, a Jewish day school. After his family moved to Wilmette, he attended public school: Romona School, Wilmette Junior High School, and New Trier High School.[26] Emanuel was encouraged by his mother to take ballet lessons as a boy and is a graduate of the Evanston School of Ballet. He won a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet but turned it down to attend Sarah Lawrence College, a liberal arts school with a strong dance program.[2][16]He graduated from college in 1981, and went on to receive a master's degree in Speech and Communication from Northwestern University in 1985. While still a student at Sarah Lawrence, he joined the congressional campaign of David Robinson of Chicago.[citation needed]

His father, a pediatrician still practicing near Chicago, immigrated to the United States from Israel and spoke Hebrew with his son, when Emanuel was a boy. He is the brother of Ari Emanuel, a prominent talent agent and founder of the Endeavor Agency.

Emanuel's wife Amy Rule, a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania converted to Judaism shortly before her wedding.[7] They are members of Anshe Shalom, a modern Orthodox congregation in Chicago.[9] They have three children, son Zacharias and daughters Ilana and Leah. The children attend Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, Emanuel's own alma mater, where his wife, Amy, frequently volunteers. Rabbi Asher Lopatin of Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation, is quoted as saying: "It's a very involved Jewish family"; "Amy was one of the teachers for a class for children during the High Holidays two years ago."[9] Emanuel has said of his Judaism: "I am proud of my heritage and treasure the values it has taught me."[9] Emanuel's family lives on the North Side of Chicago, in the North Center neighborhood.[27]

Emanuel trains for and participates in triathlons.[16]

From work earlier in his career, Emanuel considers Mayor Richard M. Daley, Senator Paul Simon and President Bill Clinton to be his professional mentors. He considers his personal mentors to be his father and mother.[28]

Miscellaneous

Bradley Whitford's character Josh Lyman on NBC television series The West Wing is said to be based on Emanuel,[2] who made a cameo appearance at the same restaurant as Josh Lyman in the 7th season episode "The Wedding."[citation needed]

His first name, Rahm, means "high" or "lofty" in Hebrew[27], while his last name, Emanuel, means "God is with us."

He has advised colleagues not to appear on the popular television show The Colbert Report.[29]

Works

References

  1. ^ Baker, Peter. Zeleny, Jeff. 'For Obama, No Time to Bask in Victory As He Starts to Build a Transition Team' The New York Times, November 6 2008
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Green, Joshua (October 20, 2005). "The Enforcer". Rolling Stone. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Clinton crony Rahm Emanuel chief of staff; Chicago pal gets top job". Boston Herald. Associated Press. November 5, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Obama Building His Team". Star Tribune. November 5, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Obama asks Rep. Emanuel to lead White House staff". Reuters. November 5, 2008.
  6. ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE: Emanuel accepts White House job". politico.com. November 6, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Orly Azoulay, Obama's Israeli adviser: Next White House chief of staff?, Ynet, November 2, 2008.
  8. ^ Roger Simon, The man who would be George Stephanopoulos|George: Rahm Emanuel, centrist of the universe], The New Republic, February 3, 1997, Vol: 216, 5, 17.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Kintisch, Eli. "Newest Jewish U.S. Representative Makes Instant Impact". JTA. Retrieved on January 2, 2007
  10. ^ a b "Profile:Rahm Emanuel — Former ballet dancer turned political fixer". The Guardian Unlimited. November 10, 2006. p. 18. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Easton, Nina (September 25, 2006). "Rahm Emanuel, Pitbull politician". Fortune.
  12. ^ a b Wilgoren, Jodi (March 6, 2002). "Ethnic Comments Rattle Race for Congress". New York Times.
  13. ^ Long, Karen (October 30, 2002). "Issues important in 5th District" (paid archive). Franklin Park Herald-Journal. p. 5.
  14. ^ Allen, Mike and Perry Bacon Jr. (June 4, 2006). "Whose Party Is It Anyway?". Time.
  15. ^ Haygood, Wil (November 9, 2006). "Democratic 'Golden Boy' Rahm Emanuel, Basking In the Glow of Victory". Washington Post. p. C05. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ a b c Easton, Nina (October 2, 2006). "Rahm Emanuel: Rejuvenating the hopes of House Democrats". Fortune. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help) Cite error: The named reference "Oct. Fortune" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  17. ^ Mike Dorning (19 January 2007). "Rahm Emanuel's Great Loyalty Test". Chicago Tribune. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Hearns, Josephine. (November 9, 2006). "House Dems strike leadership deal". The Hill. Accessed January 21, 2007.
  19. ^ Babington, Charles and Jonathan Weisman (November 10, 2006). "Reid, Pelosi Expected to Keep Tight Rein in Both Chambers". Washington Post. p. A12.
  20. ^ Allen, Mike (June 27, 2007). "Dems force Cheney to flip-flop on secret doc". Politico blog.
  21. ^ Template:Url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/11/05/emanuel-obama-sends-signal-israel/
  22. ^ Kass, John (November 22, 2006). "Emanuel makes a point of airing peeve". The Chicago Tribune.
  23. ^ USA Today
  24. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/06/emanuel.profile/index.html
  25. ^ Bumiller, Elisabeth (June 15, 1997). "The Brothers Emanuel". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ a b Hendrix, Steve (October 22, 2006). "Fighting for The Spoils". The Washington Post.
  27. ^ a b Hillel Kuttler, The view from the top, Jerusalem Post, (original article abstract), July 1, 1997
  28. ^ Ammeson, Jane (2007-08-14). "The Smart Strategist". Chicago Life.
  29. ^ The Colbert Show, Stephen Colbert calls Rahm Emanuel out on the pressure, poking fun at Emanuel's missing finger in return. June 4, 2007, Minute 11

Further reading

Biography
  • Bendavid, Naftali The Thumpin': How Rahm Emanuel and the Democrats Learned to Be Ruthless and Ended the Republican Revolution, Doubleday (May 8, 2007), ISBN 978-0385523288
Articles
U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Illinois's 5th congressional district
2003–Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by
Robert Matsui
California
 Chairman of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
2005–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Jim Clyburn
South Carolina
 Chairman of House Democratic Caucus
2007–Present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

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