Cameron’s bizarre decision to hire Obama campaign chief Messina is a sad gimmick that'll backfire

The London Telegraph ^ | August 4, 2013 | Nile Gardiner

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David Cameron’s decision to hire Lynton Crosby last November as the Conservative Party’s chief political strategist was a brilliant move that has helped revive the Tories’ fortunes ahead of the 2015 general election. Crosby, who helped John Howard win four Australian general elections, has emphasised the importance of focusing on traditional issues that conservative voters actually care about, including immigration, welfare reform, Europe and combating the power of the trade unions. He has shifted the core messaging away from issues that are a turn-off for many Conservative voters, including gay marriage, climate change and foreign aid, all of which are favourite pet causes of the prime minister and the “modernisers” around him in Downing Street. Crosby’s influence on the party has been overwhelmingly positive, and has put the Labour Party on the back foot for the first time in two years.

In sharp contrast, Cameron’s extraordinary decision to hire Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign manager Jim Messina as a campaign strategy adviser looks like a desperate gimmick, that will do nothing to help his party in 2015. Messina has told BBC’s Newsnight that "I have long admired Prime Minister Cameron. While I will not be moving to London, nor will I be managing any type of day to day political operations, I will be offering strategic campaign advice leading up to 2015." It is hard to see how Messina’s presence on the Cameron campaign will be a plus for the Tories.....

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Yeah, that guy.