Rove was the “master of the middle”. He is the expert in getting the moderates to vote for your side.
Problem for Rove is that there is no longer much remaining of the squishy middle. They have moved to the right in the face of the unbridled Bolshevism of the Obamabots. So now he’s left with an expertise in the political equivalent of making buggy whips.
Thats true, and at one time I rather marveled at his ability to steal his opponent's issues.
Of course, the problem with stealing your opponent's issues is that sometimes you wind up enacting your opponent's agenda. Clever electoral politics but I think people have lost patience with that kind of thing. I have, for sure.