Marc Short, longtime head of the umbrella group for the Koch’s political empire, Freedom Partners, stepped down from his position to join the Rubio campaign.
Short, who served as the president of Freedom Partners for the past five years is about as politically connected as they come.
To get to any of the “Koch money” beggars had to go through him first . . . and D.C. is filled with beggars.
Scott Reed, a political strategist for the U.S. Chamber told Politico, “Marc has been running the most sophisticated political operation for the last few cycles, and really knows the mood of the electorate . . . this is a big sign of consolidation by the party.”
But Reed is mistaken. The Koch’s political entities, including Americans for Prosperity, have been struggling to make an impact for years while burning through tens of millions of dollars.
But the Koch’s flagship operation is not Americans for Prosperity, it’s the data operation called i360.
The Koch brothers have poured well over $50 million dollars into the operation . . . which has been wasted.
Touting the vast voter profiles they have built, the Koch-backed group is operating on a dated business model as their data operation is based upon compiled and aged data, rather than taking advantage of live consumer habits just as retail companies do on a daily basis.
If Marc Short is bringing THAT expertise to the Rubio campaign, it will prove to be of little benefit in stopping front runner Donald Trump.
And as Jeb Bush has shown, no amount of money thrown into the pockets of advertisers and political consultants will help them. Not $50 million, $100 million or even a billion dollars can buy the election at this time.
Expect Marc Short back in his job at Freedom Partners not long after the GOP Convention in Cleveland.