Editing Rahm Emanuel (section)

==Congressional career==
[[File:Dingell Emanuel Paczki.jpg|thumb|left|Rep. [[John Dingell]] and Rep. Emanuel celebrate [[Paczki]] Day, February 28, 2006 ]]

===Elections===
In 2002, Emanuel pursued the U.S. House seat in the 5th district of Illinois, previously held by [[Rod Blagojevich]], who successfully ran for [[governor of Illinois]]. His strongest opponent in the crowded primary of eight was former Illinois state representative Nancy Kaszak. During the primary, [[Edward Moskal]], president of the [[Polish American Congress]], a [[political action committee]] endorsing Kaszak, called Emanuel a "millionaire [[carpetbagger]]".<ref name="NYT03062002">{{cite news|last=Wilgoren|first=Jodi|title=Ethnic Comments Rattle Race for Congress|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=March 6, 2002|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/us/ethnic-comments-rattle-race-for-congress.html|access-date=January 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304185137/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/06/us/ethnic-comments-rattle-race-for-congress.html|archive-date=March 4, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Emanuel won the primary and defeated [[U.S. Republican Party|Republican]] candidate Mark Augusti in the [[United States House elections, 2002#Illinois|general election]]. Emanuel's inaugural election to the House with 67% was the closest he ever had for this seat, as he subsequently won more than 70% in all of his re-election bids.

===Tenure===
[[File:Rahm Emanuel at St. Hyacinth Church.jpg|thumb|Rep. Emanuel speaking at [[Basilica of St. Hyacinth|St. Hyacinth Basilica]] in [[Chicago's Polish Village]]]]
Emanuel was elected after the October 2002 [[Iraq resolution|joint resolution]] authorizing the [[Iraq War]], and so did not vote on it. However, in the lead up to the resolution, Emanuel spoke out in support of the war.{{Citation needed|date=March 2019}}

In January 2003, Emanuel was named to the [[House Financial Services Committee]] and sat on the subcommittee that oversaw Freddie Mac. A few months later, Freddie Mac Chief Executive Officer Leland Brendsel was forced out and the committee and subcommittee commenced more than a year of hearings into Freddie Mac. Emanuel skipped every hearing allegedly for reasons of avoiding any appearance of favoritism, impropriety, or conflict of interest.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/03/26/rahm-emanuels-profitable-stint-at-mortgage-giant/|title=Rahm Emanuel's profitable stint at mortgage giant|access-date=October 18, 2015|first1=Bob|last1=Secter|first2=Andrew|last2=Zajac|date=March 26, 2009|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211021358/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-03-26/news/chi-rahm-emanuel-profit-26-mar26_1_rahm-emanuel-freddie-mac-president-barack-obama|archive-date=December 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

Emanuel aligned himself with the [[Democratic Leadership Council]].<ref name="TheNation_Nichols_20081105">{{cite journal|access-date=February 2, 2009|url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20081117/nichols2?rel=rightsideaccordian|title=Rahm Emanuel: Face of Change?|journal=The Nation|first=John|last=Nichols|date=November 5, 2008}}</ref>

===Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman===
Emanuel assumed the position of [[Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee]] chairman (DCCC) after the death of the previous chair, [[Bob Matsui]]. Emanuel led the Democratic Party's effort to capture the majority in the House of Representatives in the 2006 elections. The documentary ''[[HouseQuake]]'', featuring Emanuel, chronicles those elections.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/us/politics/22baker.html|title=Emanuel at the Epicenter: Then and Now|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|last=Baker|first=Peter|date=October 21, 2009|access-date=February 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207223839/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/us/politics/22baker.html|archive-date=February 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Emanuel had disagreements over Democratic election strategy with [[Democratic National Committee]] Chairman [[Howard Dean]]. Dean favored a "[[fifty-state strategy]]", building support for the Democratic Party over the long term, while Emanuel advocated a more tactical approach focusing attention on key districts.<ref name="Time_Allen_20060604">{{cite news|last1=Allen|first1=Mike|last2=Bacon|first2=Perry Jr.|title=Whose Party Is It Anyway?|date=June 4, 2006|magazine=Time|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1200740,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930121906/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1200740,00.html|archive-date=September 30, 2007}}</ref>
[[File:Rahm Emanuel DNC 2008.jpg|thumb|right|Emanuel speaks during the second day of the [[2008 Democratic National Convention]] in [[Denver]], Colorado ]]

The Democratic Party gained 30 seats in the House in the [[United States House elections, 2006|2006 elections]], and Emanuel received considerable praise for his stewardship of the DCCC, 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."<ref name="WP_Haygood_20061108">{{cite news|last=Haygood|first=Wil|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 9, 2006|page=C05|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110802239.html|access-date=January 3, 2007|title=Democratic 'Golden Boy' Rahm Emanuel, Basking In the Glow of Victory|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830023233/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110802239.html|archive-date=August 30, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, Emanuel also faced some criticism for his failure to support some progressive candidates, as Howard Dean advocated.<ref>{{cite web|title=Justin Coussoule Confirms Obama/Kaine Threw Out Dean's 50 State Strategy And Have Given Him NO Support|date=August 14, 2010|work=Crooks and Liars|url=http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/justin-coussoule-confirms-obamakaine|access-date=February 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708204843/http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/justin-coussoule-confirms-obamakaine|archive-date=July 8, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Emanuel had "aggressively recruited right-leaning candidates, frequently military veterans, including former Republicans". Many of the Representatives that Rahm had recruited, such as [[Heath Shuler]], ended up "[voting] against important Obama administration priorities, like economic stimulus, banking reform, and health care". Progressive activist [[Howie Klein]] has suggested that Emanuel's congressional campaign strategy was short-sighted, as it "contributed to the massive G.O.P. majorities we have now, the biggest since the nineteen-twenties" when the Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 mid-term elections.<ref name="newyorker.com"/>

After Emanuel's election as chairman of the Democratic Caucus (see below), [[Chris Van Hollen]] became committee chair for the 110th Congress.

===Democratic Caucus chairman===
After his role in helping the Democrats win the 2006 elections, Emanuel was believed to be a leading candidate for the position of [[Party whips of the United States House of Representatives|Majority Whip]]. Nancy Pelosi, who became the next [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House of Representatives]], persuaded him not to challenge [[Jim Clyburn]], but instead to succeed Clyburn in the role of [[Democratic Caucus Chairman of the United States House of Representatives|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". Caucus vice-chair [[John B. Larson|John Larson]] remained in his role instead of running for the chairman position.<ref name="WP_Babington_20061110">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/09/AR2006110901764.html|title=Reid, Pelosi Expected to Keep Tight Rein in Both Chambers|last1=Babington|first1=Charles|first2=Jonathan|last2=Weisman|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=November 10, 2006|page=A12|access-date=September 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108023848/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/09/AR2006110901764.html|archive-date=November 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> After Vice President [[Dick Cheney]] asserted that he did not fall within the bounds of orders set for the [[Executive (government)|executive branch]], Emanuel called for cutting off the $4.8 million the Executive Branch provides for the Vice President's office.<ref name="Politico_Allen_20070627">{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Mike|title=Dems force Cheney to flip-flop on secret doc|publisher=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]].com|date=June 27, 2007|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0607/4679.html|access-date=June 27, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629154202/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0607/4679.html|archive-date=June 29, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Positions on political issues===
[[File:Blagojevich medicare.jpg|thumb|Emanuel joins Illinois governor [[Rod Blagojevich]] to advocate changes to [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] legislation, September 24, 2003]]
;Social issues
Emanuel is generally [[Liberalism in the United States|liberal]] on [[social issues]]. He has maintained a 100-percent [[pro-choice]] voting record, supports [[LGBT rights]] including [[same-sex marriage]], and is a strong supporter of gun control, rated "F" by the NRA in December 2003.<ref name="on the issues">[http://www.ontheissues.org/IL/Rahm_Emanuel.htm Rahm Emanuel on the Issues] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081115215316/http://ontheissues.org/IL/Rahm_Emanuel.htm |date=November 15, 2008 }}, [[On the Issues]], November 14, 2008</ref> He has also strongly supported the banning of numerous rifles based upon "sporting purposes" criteria.<ref name="NewsHour_19980405">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june98/guns_4-6.html|title=Online Focus: Taking Aim|date=April 6, 1998|work=[[The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119084624/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/law/jan-june98/guns_4-6.html|archive-date=January 19, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel spoke in support of the goal of "to help make health care affordable and available for all Americans".<ref name="newest" /> In his 2006 book, co-authored with Bruce Reed, ''The Plan: Big Ideas for America'',<ref name="Emanuel-Reed2006">{{cite book|url=http://www.readtheplan.com/|title=The Plan: Big Ideas for Change in America|last1=Emanuel|first1=Rahm|first2=Bruce|last2=Reed|publisher=PublicAffairs Books|year=2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061128011544/http://www.readtheplan.com/|archive-date=November 28, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> Emanuel advocated a three-month compulsory universal service program for Americans between the ages of 18 and 25. A similar, expanded version of the initiative was later proposed by Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.

;Iraq war
During his original 2002 campaign, Emanuel "indicated his support of [[George W. Bush|President Bush]]'s position on [[Iraq]], but said he believed the President needed to better articulate his position to the American people".<ref name="newest"/> In the 2006 congressional primaries, Emanuel, then head of the Democratic congressional campaign committee, helped organize a run by [[Tammy Duckworth]], an Iraq war veteran with no political experience, against grassroots candidate Christine Cegelis in Illinois' 6th district. Expedited withdrawal from Iraq was a central point of Cegelis' campaign and Duckworth opposed a withdrawal timetable.<ref name="Truthout_Renner_20070906">{{cite web|title=Democratic House Officials Recruited Wealthy Conservatives|first=Matt|last=Renner|date=September 6, 2007|work=[[truthout.org]]|url=http://www.truthout.org/article/special-report-democratic-house-officials-recruited-wealthy-conservatives|access-date=November 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114202744/http://www.truthout.org/article/special-report-democratic-house-officials-recruited-wealthy-conservatives|archive-date=November 14, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

;Middle East
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. At a 2003 pro-Israel rally in Chicago, Emanuel told the marchers that Israel was "ready for peace" but would not get there until Palestinians "turn away from the path of terror".<ref name="FoxNews_Ninan_20081105">{{cite news|last1= Ninan|first1= Reena|first2= Judson|last2= Berger|url= http://article.wn.com/view-travelagents/2008/11/06/With_Emanuel_Obama_Could_Be_Sending_Signal_to_Israel/|access-date= August 31, 2015|title= With Emanuel, Obama Could Be Sending Signal to Israel|agency= Fox News|website= WN.com|publisher= World News Network|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151018235758/http://article.wn.com/view-travelagents/2008/11/06/With_Emanuel_Obama_Could_Be_Sending_Signal_to_Israel/|archive-date= October 18, 2015|url-status= live}}</ref>