AGE: 52
OCCUPATION: Chicago consultant, Obama consigliere
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0
PRO: Barack Obama's chief political and media advisor, a journalist-turned-consultant, has spun his candidate as a generational reboot of the Democratic Party. By using viral media, online fundraising and tech-savvy techniques, Axelrod has orchestrated a triumph of personality over policy. Having a nimble, extensive organization capable of a real 50-state strategy didn't hurt either.
CON: At some point, Axelrod is going to need to build a policy beachhead for Obama — man cannot live by YouTube videos alone.