The Thumpin': How Rahm Emanuel and the Democrats Learned to Be Ruthless and Ended the Republican Revolution
President Bush colorfully characterized the Democrats' victory in the 2006 elections as a "thumpin'."Chicago Tribunereporter Bendavid recalls the long and arduous campaign to retake Congress under the leadership of Illinois congressman Rahm Emanuel, a brash and energetic politician. Only a second-term congressman, Emanuel was tapped to run the campaign, recruit candidates, raise money, and craft strategy. Known for his hard-knuckle brand of politics, Emanuel identified 50 candidates and began the steep climb to unravel the conventional wisdom that Republicans--the conservative branch no less--would dominate American politics for another generation. Emanuel's criterion for the 50 was not that they could pass a litmus test on issues of abortion and gun control but that they could win. Bendavid traces Emanuel's campaign from early doubts that the Democrats could retake the House to the triumph of seating the first female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, who first identified Emanuel for the job as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. This book is as exciting as the election itself, with the added benefit of behind-the-scenes details.Vanessa BushCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved