by Jill Zuckman
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the incoming chief of staff for President-elect Obama, met on Capitol Hill Thursday with the House and Senate GOP leaders to tell Republicans that the new president wants to hear their ideas and to work with them.
"We welcome their ideas and their concepts," said Emanuel, who similarly reached out to Republicans after he helped Democrats take back control of the House in 2006. "The challenges facing the country require that people of both parties work together to solve those problems."
Emanuel called his first meeting with Senate Republican leaders "very, very, very good" and said he was talking to them at the direction of Obama. Emanuel has also held individual meetings with House Republicans and estimated he had spoken by phone with at least 20 other Republicans.
"The challenges for the country are large. The problems we face are of a serious magnitude and there's enough area and enough good will for ideas from both parties to solve those challenges," Emanuel said.
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