Rahm Emanuel says Democrats need to present ‘six for ’26’ agenda to win midterms
By Kevin Landrigan, Union Leader
Former Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said if national Democrats adopt his “six for ’26” agenda, this could be their most successful midterm election in two decades.
The former Chicago mayor and White House chief of staff told reporters Democrats this fall should call for raising the minimum wage, a ratepayer bill of rights, health care cost controls, ethics reform, bans on anyone under the age of 16 using social media and federal officials being able to engage in prediction betting.
“Do you have the ideas to address the challenges that face America?” Emanuel asked.
To political historians, the concept may sound familiar. Emanuel was one of the architects of a “six for ’06” platform as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
In that election, Democrats seized control of both houses of Congress, making Nancy Pelosi the first woman speaker of the U.S. House as then-President George W. Bush’s Iraq War policy proved to be unpopular with swing voters.
Emanuel, 66, took a two-day swing through the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state and made no secret that he’ll seriously explore a White House run in 2028.
“If I think I have what it takes to answer what is ailing this great country, then I will jump into the deep end without my water wings,” Emanuel said near the end an appearance before the Politics & Eggs forum at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
On the conflict in Iran, President Donald Trump’s gambit with Israel to attack that country was unnecessary and it will cause economic aftershocks that last for years, Emanuel said.
“This is insane to me … and it’s very clear that the president’s team had an offer from Iran far superior to the 2015 offer that (former President Barack) Obama had,” Emanuel said. “This is a war of choice, and it is a bad choice.”
Emanuel said the U.S. should pursue an agreement like the Abraham Accords during Trump’s first term, which was signed by many Middle Eastern countries in September 2020 and delivered the first Arab-Israel agreement in a generation.
Countries that embraced a new Middle East peace plan would be rewarded with the lowest U.S. tariffs, get to the front of the line to purchase U.S. military equipment and work on building an oil pipeline through the Strait of Hormuz into the Red Sea to eliminate Iran’s leverage on the free world, he said.
First Jewish president?
The son of an Israeli-born pediatrician, Emanuel would become the first Jewish president.
Emanuel used this trip to test-market several of his proposals, such as a mandatory six-month public service commitment prior to high school graduation and a taxpayer-paid down payment for the first home for someone who commits to two years of service.
“If we are honest with ourselves, politics in our society have become a hunger game. The foundation of our society has been weakened,” Emanuel said. “For the next generation, let us build a single experience together.”
While working abroad, Emanuel said he saw more clearly the decay of American political consensus.
“I learned so much being in Japan about this country watching it from a distance. The American people haven’t, but the government has lost its nerve. This is a country built on the ethos that failure is not an option, but in Washington it’s become the first choice,” Emanuel said.
He’d also support an age limit of 75 for members of Congress, the president and the Supreme Court.
“Here’s my view: All three branches of government need a power washing, and the Supreme Court should be part of that effort,” Emanuel said.
A national priority should be to improve test scores on reading, which for third graders are at a 30-year low, he said.
“You have kids trying to figure out their pronouns and we’ve got half the kids who don’t know what a pronoun is,” Emanuel said.
This midterm will be a referendum on Trump, but Emanuel said Democrats will only win big if they present a platform that resonates with the American people.
“Get to the core of what they expect of us and don’t get caught up in some cultural cul-de-sac that leaves us without any exit,” he said.
New England Council President and CEO James Brett said Emanuel certainly has the energy to run nationwide.
“This is not going to be easy,” said Brett, who questioned Emanuel at the forum. “He just wears me out.”
Emanuel embraced that reputation.
“I was ambassador to Japan for three years. For the Japanese, it felt like 30,” Emanuel said.