I'm
very happy he's with us
Hey, so is every Obama supporter on this forum, no kidding!
Toryanna68 said:
but if the Dems had one, how would that affect US politics? POD 1990. And he has to use the same tactics and have the same near-perfect success rate.
The problem with Rove isn't just that he is a ruthless motherfucker. Rahmbo is a ruthless mofo, as well.
No, the problem with replicating a Rove in a Dem administration (or even another GOP one) is that he was/is functionally illiterate on policy
yet had extraordinary power over policymaking as Bush's closest special assistant. He was the inspiration for the expression
Mayberry Machiavelli, coined by a disillusioned ex-Bush appointee.
A fulltime political strategist shaping US domestic policy at Rove's level had never happened before. Guys like Clark Clifford or Jim Baker or the aforementioned Emanuel have had influence in both spheres, but never at the expense of almost totally ignoring the mechanics of governing. Likewise, those fulltime political & media strategists like Mike Deaver or George Stephanopolous had never been given the authority over policy Rove was assigned by Bush.
Nixon's two gatekeepers were powerful, but Nixon hardly relied on them as Dubya relied on Rove.
For another 'Bush's Brain' you need a president as uncertain of his own leadership abilities as the occupant of the White House '01/'09 was of his.
And I don't believe such a man can win the Democratic primaries, or get to the top of a VP selection list.