In politics, it's never too early to start thinking of the future. And the future changed significantly for two Jewish lawmakers with big ambitions after last week's elections.
For Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the only Jewish Republican in the House, the Democratic storm (it even changed his red state to blue) had a silver lining: The day after the election, Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the House minority whip, announced he was stepping down from the second-ranking GOP leadership position.
FONT-SIZE: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt">That opened the door for Cantor, his chief deputy, to move up. If he gets the nod from fellow Republicans, it would be a big step toward what many observers say is his ultimate goal — the House speaker’s seat — provided Republicans can wrest control from the Democrats.
“Cantor’s natural home is in the House, and he’s a decent bet to be the next GOP speaker,” said Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist who follows Cantor’s career closely.
The odds against a Jew winning statewide in Virginia may be low, analysts say. But the speaker’s position is an “attainable goal” for Cantor, Sabato said, who said the Richmond-area pol is “careful, never unnecessarily provocative and always well prepared.”
Emanuel’s speaker’s hopes got diverted by the call of his party’s new leader, President-Elect Barack Obama, who tapped the hard-charging and deeply Jewish congressman as chief of staff.
Emanuel, who was first elected in 2002, is the son of an Israeli who served in the Irgun. He attends a Modern Orthodox shul in Chicago and speaks Hebrew. He’s a strong supporter of U.S.-led peace efforts, but during his years in Congress he was a pragmatist who recognized the fact that Israel was having a hard time finding a peace partner.
And according to a rabbi who knows him well, he’s a serious Jew.
“Rahm probably has only two commitments that are deeper than his commitment to Judaism, in all of its expressions — including Israel,” said Rabbi Jack Moline, leader of a Conservative synagogue in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. “First is his exceptional loyalty to his family and his friends. And he is a patriot; he loves this country, and believes he brings something important to the table about how life can be better for everyone in this country.”
Emanuel wears his Judaism and his commitment to Israel on his sleeve, Moline said, which “is an answer to the accusations thrown at Sen. Obama during the campaign.”
Emanuel was on the congressional leadership fast track and reportedly had his eye on the speaker’s chair.
“What’s been overlooked by all the people dissecting his personality or trying to figure out what [the chief of staff] appointment means for policy is the fact that he made a genuine personal sacrifice to take this job,” Rabbi Moline said. “He could have been, possibly would have been, the first Jewish speaker of the House. But he saw an opportunity to be part of history — which is what he said to me. His president asked him to serve, and he accepted.”
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