The Democrats’ Karl Rove

Politico reports former Obama campaign manager Jim Messina “is moving aggressively to capitalize on his newfound fame and status as the maestro who ran a masterful reelection campaign for a president mired in a slumping economy. He’s building a political fiefdom through his deep ties to rich Democrats and a nexus of big-money operations… He’s grabbing clients around the world, some of whom seem at odds with one another. And he’s grabbing cash, in the form of speeches at roughly $50,000 a pop…”

“It’s the first time that Messina… is making serious money. He appears to be following a path paved by George W. Bush’s political guru, Karl Rove, who turned his master strategist role into a vaunted brand and created a shadow version of the Republican Party machinery through his unlimited-money Crossroads groups.”