Further evidence of Christie ascendancy

by: Rosi Efthim

Thu Jul 29, 2010 at 05:44:15 PM EDT

In POLITICO's round-up of rising stars, 50 Politicos to Watch, Christie's architect Mike DuHaime shows up on a hotly-anticipated list of "politicians, bureaucrats, administration officials, campaign gurus, military brass, fixers and party hounds you need to keep an eye on." A purely subjective list, selected by POLITICO reporters and editors, but you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows:

Top 2012 staffer gets

Gentry Collins, Mike DuHaime, Anne Hathaway, Rob Jesmer, Nick Ayers

Like fellow "get" Gentry Collins, current political director at Michael Steele's RNC, DuHaime did his time running the politics of the national GOP. From there, he ran Rudy Guiliani a Noun + a Verb + 911 for President. But it was Camp Christie that earned DuHaime his swagger. He ran the campaign, then pulled a key role in his boss' transition.

More recently, DuHaime pops up as the mouthpiece for Chris Christie's highly-questionable non-disclosure slush fund Reform Jersey Now that the Governor is skating away from now that its funding issues have been exposed.

With appearances on popular news/chat shows like Morning Joe, in crafted public appearances before hand-picked audiences, talking tough to teachers, and picking fights with reporters, and mowing down Democrats much of the time, Christie is looking like a hot property.

The GOP's engaged in a national effort to Get Their Shit Together as they try to advantage a mid-term election, bereft of heroes and endlessly tripped up by an embarrassing national Chair, and too many of its rising stars petering out by quitting (Palin), by poultry (Sue Lowden) and what's this? ... agoraphobia? (Sharron Angle) or otherwise crashing around looking stupid.

You can see why Chris Christie, whose souffle has definitely not fallen yet, would look good to them. And why DuHaime, Christie's Karl Rove, would look even better.