Obama's fundraising quarter worse than expected thus far?

Probably not, but let me put this on your radar screens now as an early, early, early warning that Hopenchange v2.0 might have more trouble with Democratic enthusiasm than it expected.

Advertisement

It’s actually amazing, after two years of nine-percent employment, crushing deficits, Bush-like counterterrorism policies, and an historic GOP comeback in November, that it would still qualify as “news” if The One’s fundraising among O-bots was a tad sluggish. Messianism is worth its weight in gold.

The adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that campaign officials have decided to devote the bulk of their early efforts to fortifying the Democratic National Committee rather than the president’s own reelection campaign, anticipating that DNC will need to spend the money earlier. This decision, they said, accounts for the lower total…

So far the president has attended a dozen fundraisers in six cities since announcing on April 14 his decision to seek reelection. Half have been events where tickets cost $35,800. DNC takes $30,800 of that; Obama’s campaign gets only $5,000…

Democratic officials insist that Obama’s fundraisers have been sold out, suggesting that the issue is one of priorities and capacity and not enthusiasm. Obama’s campaign is building out its Internet presence and is testing approaches. If his team is able to raise a lot of money from small donors toward the end of the quarter, it will reduce anxiety about whether Obama’s base will support him with the same degree of fervor as it did in 2008. Of course, minds won’t be concentrated on the election until later, and so Obama’s team is careful about making projections.

Advertisement

They’re bolstering the DNC now to make sure there’s plenty of cash available for vulnerable Senate Democrats, who will likely be in deeper trouble in their own races next year than O will. Fair enough, but still — no cash surge even after the Bin Laden raid? Good lord. How many terrorists does a man have to kill to get a blip in his donation graph? I’d probably give him a buck for the privilege of viewing the death photos.

Speaking of Obama and early warnings, not one but two celebrities who were sympathetic to him last time around have switched to Republicans this time. Can his campaign hope to recover from the loss of Cindy Crawford and Willie Nelson? Only time will tell, my friends. Exit question: Why isn’t Mitt ruling out self-financing? After raising $10 million in a day, surely he won’t need to tap his personal funds this time around. Will he?

Update: Via Fox News Insider, skip ahead to 3:00.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement