The Real Rahm Record.

The media is giving all sorts of kudos to proclaim Rahm Emanuel one of the big "winners" of the 2006 election. But, the real record indicates otherwise:

Looking at all 22 candidates hand-picked by Rahm, we find that 13 were defeated, and only 8 won! (3) (One is still undecided.) And remember that this was the year of the Democratic tsunami and that Rahm's favorites were handsomely financed by the DCCC. Tammy Duckworth, for example, was infused with $3 million­ and was backed in the primary by HRC, Barack Obama, John Kerry, etc.

So, the record is really not that good. And three million is a lot for a house seat.

What is worse, however, is that in at least two cases Rahm spent a lot of money to drive out some anti-war candidates, with one pro-war winner going on to lose in the general election.

In two cases Rahm had to put in considerable dollars and effort in the primaries to drive out antiwar candidates. He drove out Cegelis in Illinois's 6th CD, at the cost of one million dollars, in favor of Tammy ("Stay the course") Duckworth who lost in the general election. In California's 11th CD primary, Emanuel backed the prowar Steven Filson who lost to the antiwar candidate, Jerry McNerney, who went on to win in the general election.

The anti-war folks still have a long road ahead of them.

Rahm's Losers