May 28 (Bloomberg) -- White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel starts many mornings with a workout in the U.S. House of Representatives gym. He also lifts weights.

The real exercise is gathering political intelligence from his one-time colleagues about congressional action on health- care and energy legislation.

He ends some days doing the same, dining with a bipartisan group of lawmakers at Bobby Van’s Steakhouse, three blocks from the White House.

Between doing “an enormous amount of sit-ups,” Emanuel, 49, is “doing what he’s always done,” said Representative Gregory Meeks, a Democrat from New York. “He’s whipping us,” he added, referring to Emanuel’s skill at rounding up votes. “He’s trying to figure out where we are.”

With a corner office in the West Wing and walk-in privileges in the Capitol, Emanuel navigates two corridors of power in Washington as he helps Obama push through an agenda that has extended its reach into corporations such as Detroit- based General Motors Corp., Chrysler LLC in Auburn, Hills, Mich., and American International Group, with headquarters in New York.

Low-Volume Persuasion

Known for his tough tactics and profanity, Emanuel has another side: the ability to persuade at low volume and often over a glass of red wine.

Emanuel rotates a roster of Republican lawmakers into his bi-weekly dinners at Bobby Van’s, gauging the strength of their opposition to the president.

“We’re trying to get the backroom scoop about what’s behind the headlines, behind the stories,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Republican representative who often joins Emanuel at the dinners. “You can really get to know somebody over dinner and a glass of wine.”

More than any chief of staff in at least the last quarter century, Emanuel has inserted himself into Congress’s daily rhythms.

The Emanuel lawmakers encounter rarely resembles the partisan they recall from his six years in the House. The Emanuel of the West Wing is “really interested in developing a relationship with us” said Representative Mary Bono Mack, a California Republican. Bono said she was one of a dozen Republicans Emanuel invited to his office’s back patio May 13 for “a pleasant spring afternoon at the White House” and a chat about the legislative agenda.

Obama Drop-By

Emanuel also arranged for the president to drop by for 15 minutes, leaving many of the lawmakers convinced that Obama was committed to changing the tone in Washington.

“I certainly appreciate the opportunity to advocate for issues that are important to me,” said Representative Candice Miller, a Michigan Republican who attended the same get- together. “As you might imagine right now, that means the auto industry.”

Emanuel uses numerous venues to show his softer side. Along with the gym, his patio gatherings and his dinners, he drops by late at night at the Democratic Club, a private bar at the party’s headquarters, to lean on lawmakers to embrace the president’s goal of reducing greenhouse gasses.

A former congressman from Illinois, he brings a “laser- like focus” to “whatever the issue du jour is,” said Representative John Larson, a Democrat from Connecticut. “Right now, that’s energy and health care.”

‘Rough Around the Edges’

Emanuel came to his White House job with a “big reputation for being a little rough around the edges,” said John Podesta, Bill Clinton’s last chief of staff and an Emanuel confidant. “He’s learned and matured,” since his first tour in the White House, he said.

One of those lessons, lawmakers said, was how to use the soft power of his office, by dispensing extra tickets to White House social functions, for example.

“He can do things that maybe the White House legislative office can’t really get to,” said Representative Gene Green, a Texas Democrat, mentioning tickets that Emanuel procured for a luncheon hosted by Michelle Obama. “He puts out fires.”

In some ways, when Emanuel assumed his new job, he didn’t really quit his old one, Meeks said. “It’s like he never really left.”

‘Camaraderie’

Emanuel said that the predawn sweating accomplishes three goals. “First of all, it’s a workout,” he said early one morning last week, as he was leaving the YMCA, the other Washington gym he frequents. “Number two, it’s camaraderie. And number three, individual members sometimes have something they want to talk about, or something I want to talk about, and we talk.”

The informal discussions allow Emanuel to develop new relationships and understand legislative fault lines. “The value for us is to hear from the folks up there what they are hearing” from the different factions in their parties, LaHood said.

Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who has been a vocal critic of the administration’s energy proposals, said he was on the receiving end of Emanuel’s outreach when he was invited to a Bobby Van’s gathering May 12.

In an interview, Upton said he is still “a definite no on cap and trade” -- a proposal being pushed by Obama that would set up a market for emissions -- though he credits the Obama administration for soliciting his views.

Lawmakers said Emanuel is relentless in making his case. On April 29, just minutes after Obama finished a prime-time news conference, Emanuel dropped by the Democratic Club to solicit lawmakers’ views on his energy policy.

“If you’re going to whip somebody, you’ve got to find out why they are being hesitant,” said Representative Ed Pastor, an Arizona Democrat.

Podesta said Emanuel has to be careful not to focus too much attention on Congress at the expense of his White House duties.

“His job is not to be the head of congressional affairs,” Podesta said. “He can’t spend all his time on Capitol Hill. He’s got to give direction to the government.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Hans Nichols in Washington at hnichols2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 28, 2009 00:01 EDT