WASHINGTON - There's a certain breed of high-minded Democrat who regards squeezing campaign contributions out of the reluctant rich as disdainful.
And then there's Chuck Schumer.
"The important thing you need to know about Chuck is that when it comes to fundraising, he's essentially a force of nature," said Tom Downey, a Long Island congressman-turned-lobbyist who has been Schumer's friend since the 1970s.
Like a father frowning at an A-minus on an otherwise perfect report card, good is never quite good enough to Schumer when it comes to increasing the cash flow to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which he has chaired for a year.
"You meet his goals, then he calls up the guys you've raised money from and raises more from them directly," Downey added. "And then he says, 'Tom, go find me some new people.'"
By all accounts, that relentlessness is serving Schumer well as the campaign chairman, where he will quarterback the 2006 effort to attack the GOP's 55-45 advantage in the Senate. He's no Tom DeLay, but the role seems to be bringing out the Boss Chuck in Schumer, the son of an exterminator.
The senator has replaced virtually every staff member hired by his predecessor, Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), terminated consultants favored by deposed Minority Leader Tom Daschle, and demanded the right to review hirings made by committee-backed candidates.
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