It looks like David Brock is getting more serious about building a powerful apparatus on the left to go head-to-head with the flood of outside money conservative groups are planning to pump into the 2012 elections.

I'm told that Brock has made some major staff shifts within his Media Matters empire in preparation for 2012, shifting key staff over to a new third-party spending vehicle he's created to spend big money on campaigns this cycle, which is called American Bridge.

Brock will move Media Matters' top communications director, Chris Harris, over to American Bridge, and he's installing a new president and CEO at Media Matters, Matthew Butler. That will allow Brock to focus more energy on building out the new effort and enlisting major donors to finance it.

Also: In another indication that Brock is shifting his empire harder into politics, he has enlisted one of the key architects of MoveOn's growth over the last few years -- operative Ilyse Hogue -- to oversee a new Media Matters operation dedicated specifically to taking action against right wing media.

Brock outlined these and other staff shifts in a memo for staff this afternoon.

Brock is a major Beltway player, and if his effort gains traction, it could have a real impact on the 2012 campaigns, helping to offset the lopsided advantage conservative groups are expected to enjoy. It's also a sign that Washington's power liberal types are getting serious about figuring out how to navigate the new, post-Citizens United landscape, which has clearly put them at a disadvantage.