re: How were dems able to consolidate so much power under Obama?

There was an infographic about this circulating years ago that has since been scrubbed, but Obama appointed a mind boggling number of rabid and unscrupulous ideologues. He set records for appointees from academia, lobbying firms, and the like. Prior to Obama, presidents appointed allies to high level positions, but rank and file were all workerbee types who made their careers in DC regardless of party politics. He also built in a trend started by Clinton where federal bench seats were kicked into overdrive, and community groups at the local levels (think Acorn) were weaponized to get party loyalists elected to DA, SOS, and other key seats at the state level.

In short, politicize everything not nailed down.