Whose Party Is It Anyway?

"I don't need an alarm clock anymore," says David Axelrod, a Chicago political strategist who consults for the House campaign. Emanuel sends cheesecakes from the famed Chicago bakery Eli's to show his appreciation to donors and recruits. But last year he cut off use of the phone lines at the DCCC for House Democrats who fail to pay their dues to the campaign committee, which can run from around $100,000 to $600,000 depending on seniority. The DCCC is one of the few physical places those politicians can use to raise cash during work hours, as they are barred from making the calls from their offices, so many Democrats are miffed by the threat of another crackdown. Candidates who are getting lots of money from Emanuel's committee have to sign formal agreements that they will bring in enough on their own to compete in the district and get attention in local media--something Emanuel calls "M-squared," for money and message.

Shuler, the quarterback who had never run for office, hears from Emanuel as often as once a week. "So how much money have you raised today?" Emanuel asks, often barely greeting Shuler before getting to the question. "We don't need pronouns, adjectives or verbs," says Emanuel. "They know why we're calling."