No one seemed to work harder to secure a committee post than Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. in his quest for a seat on the Ways and Means Committee.
No New Jersey Democrat had served on the committee since 1992. So, with a relentless approach reminiscent of LBJ, Pascrell fished unsuspecting members from the House floor and took them to a balcony off the speaker's lobby to press his case.
He had been exceptionally vocal on taxes, trade and Social Security, all issues within the committee's jurisdiction. His New Jersey colleagues offered him their "unconditional endorsement," and Gov. Jon Corzine weighed in on his behalf.
His efforts drew such attention that Rep. Eliot L. Engel (D-N.Y.) gave them a nod during the recent House floor debate over Iraq, introducing Pascrell as "my sister's congressman, a gentleman who worked hard to become a member of the Ways and Means Committee."
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