Terrific piece in the Washington Post's "Post Politics" about Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-6), the U.S. House leadership's "listener in chief."
As chief deputy whip — an unelected but important slot in the leadership hierarchy — Roskam does most of his work behind closed doors. He likens his job to that of “a listener in chief.”
“What I have found is that members feel a level of [comfort] telling me things that, my hunch is, they’re not saying to the speaker of the House, or they’re not saying to the majority leader,” Roskam said.
McCarthy said Roskam is adept at conveying complicated policy issues to members, often using analogies he dubbed “Rosk-isms.”
“When he explains something, he does it in a manner that everybody could understand,” McCarthy said. “When he talks he’s kind of like E.F. Hutton — people want to listen.”
Sounds like the Washington Post talked to the same person the 6th CD's voters sent to D.C. for the first time in 2006. And knowing the Washington power houses have grown to respect him there like the people back home do should make 6th CD voters very proud.
Some refer to Roskam as Illinois' anti-Obama. Others say he'd make a great Speaker Roskam someday. Nice sound to that, too.
