"Emanuel Pushes Obama Plan to Lawmakers From Gyms to Restaurants "

Emanuel Pushes Obama Plan to Lawmakers From Gyms to Restaurants
Hans Nichols

May 28 (Bloomberg) -- White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel starts many mornings with a workout in the U.S. House of Representatives gym. He also lifts weights.

The real exercise is gathering political intelligence from his one-time colleagues about congressional action on health- care and energy legislation.

He ends some days doing the same, dining with a bipartisan group of lawmakers at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, three blocks from the White House.

Between doing “an enormous amount of sit-ups,” Emanuel, 49, is “doing what he’s always done,” said Representative Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York. “He’s whipping us,” he added, referring to Emanuel’s skill at rounding up votes. “He’s trying to figure out where we are.”

With a corner office in the West Wing and walk-in privileges in the Capitol, Emanuel navigates two corridors of power in Washington as he helps Obama push through an agenda that has extended its reach into corporations such as Detroit- based General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC in Auburn, Hills, Mich., and American International Group, with headquarters in New York.

Low-Volume Persuasion

Known for his tough tactics and profanity, Emanuel has another side: the ability to persuade at low volume and often over a glass of red wine.

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