Obama’s Fourth Quarter Haul Is Less Than Bush’s Fundraising In The Same Period Of 2003. “Of the October-to-December cash, $42 million went to Obama’s coffers, with $24 million headed to the DNC — a bit less than the $70.4 million raised by the Bush-Cheney-RNC campaigns in late 2003.” (Glenn Thrush, “Bush ’03 Beats Obama ’11,” Politico, 1/12/12)

In 2011, Obama Has Averaged A “Blistering Pace” Of More Than One Fundraiser Every Five Days. “Sixty-nine fundraisers this year by December 1. That’s an average of more than one fundraiser every five days. (Though, as Obama’s latest New York trip shows, these events are often clustered together on a single day.) This is a blistering pace of rainmaking for the 44th president in 2011.”(Andy Kroll, “Barack Obama Has, On Average, Attended A Fundraiser Every Five Days In 2011,” Mother Jones, 12/1/11)

• By The End Of September, Obama Had Already Held More Fundraisers “Than The Last Five Presidents Did The Year Before They Sought Re-Election.” “That’s already more than the last five presidents did the year before they sought re-election,’ says Brendan Doherty, assistant professor of political science at the U.S. Naval Academy.” (Richard Wolf, “Obama Revs Up Fundraising For Re-Election Bid,” USA Today, 9/27/11)
• Then Obama Attended Another 19 Fundraisers In The Final Three Months Of 2011. (Politico44, Accessed 1/12/12)

Obama Devoted About A Third Of His Early Money To Fundraising. “And President Obama has devoted about a third of his $14 million in early expenditures to fundraising — suggesting that it really does take money to make money.” (Dan Eggen And T.W. Farnam, “2012 Presidential Race: Expense Reports Give Peek At Candidates’ Priorities, Styles,” The Washington Post, 7/17/11)

OBAMA’S FUNDRAISING TREND LINE MUST BE WORRYING CHICAGO

Obama And The DNC Raised Less Than The GOP Field Raised In The Third Quarter. “But Obama’s contributions this recent fundraising quarter – absent support from the Democratic National Committee – are less than the combined cash given to all GOP candidates, hinting at an influx of money to whomever Republicans chose as their nominee.” (Jack Gillum, “Obama Lost Many Donors From ’08 Presidential Race,” The Associated Press, 10/27/11)

Obama Blamed His Third Quarter Slump On Donors Being “Less Engaged” In The Summer. “A senior campaign official told CBS News the benchmark dropped because donors are typically less engaged during the summer and because the campaign canceled fundraisers during the debt ceiling debate.” (Jillian Hughes, “Obama Seeks To Lower Expectations For Lackluster Fundraising,” CBS News, 9/30/11)

But A Third Quarter Slump Is Not Typical For An Incumbent President. “What the official did not mention was that if Mr. Obama fails to raise as much money in the third quarter as he did in the second quarter, it would he unusual for a sitting president seeking re-election.” (Jillian Hughes, “Obama Seeks To Lower Expectations For Lackluster Fundraising,” CBS News, 9/30/11)

• The Slump Is Common For “Candidates Running From Outside The White House.” “The existence of a third quarter slump seems to be a reality for candidates running from outside the White House, as then-Senator Obama was, but not for incumbents running from the seat of power.” (Jillian Hughes, “Obama Seeks To Lower Expectations For Lackluster Fundraising,” CBS News, 9/30/11)
• Donors Were Not “Less Engaged” For Former Presidents During The Summer Before Their Reelection Campaigns. “But the charge that donors are ‘less engaged’ during summer months hasn’t been the case in the past for an incumbent presidential campaign. In 2003, George W. Bush’s fundraising dollars increased from the second quarter to the third, climbing from $35.1 million to $50 million. Eight years earlier, Bill Clinton’s numbers went up as well, from $9.6 million after the second quarter to $10.3 million after the third.” (Jillian Hughes, “Obama Seeks To Lower Expectations For Lackluster Fundraising,” CBS News, 9/30/11)

Maybe It’s His Discouraged Base

“No One Gets Elected From Having A Dissatisfied, Discouraged Base That Does Not Come Out In Good Numbers.” “‘No one gets elected from having a dissatisfied, discouraged base that does not come out in good numbers,’ says Chicago-based political consultant Greg Goldner, who managed Mayor Richard M. Daley’s 2007 re-election campaign.” (Steven R Strahler And Paul Merrion, “Cracks Appear In Obama’s Chicago Base,” Crain’s Chicago Business, 9/26/11)

Obama’s “Vaunted Small-Donor Army” Has Been Plagued By Frustration And Disillusionment With Obama. “But in recent months, the frustration and disillusionment that have dragged down Mr. Obama’s approval ratings have crept into the ranks of his vaunted small-donor army, underscoring the challenges he faces as he seeks to rekindle grass-roots enthusiasm for his re-election bid.” (Nicholas Confessore, “Small Donors Are Slow To Return To The Obama Fold,” The New York Times, 9/24/11)

• “Many Of The Small Donors Who Contributed To President Obama’s Grassroots Fundraising In 2008 Have Expressed Frustration And Disillusion With The President’s Recent Policies — And Their Newly Sealed Pocket Books Reflect That Discontent.” (Lara Seligman, “Obama’s Small Donors From 2008 Are Now Reluctant To Give,” National Journal, 9/26/11)

But More Likely, It’s Obamanomics

Obama & His Campaign Coffers Are “Beleaguered By A Struggling Economy” And Slumping Approval Ratings. “But the AP’s analysis indicates that Obama, beleaguered by a struggling economy, has lost early support from some of his larger financial supporters and will have to work harder to win back party stalwarts and swing voters alike. Obama’s approval ratings have slumped to 41 percent in a recent Gallup poll, as steadfast supporters have found themselves less able or less willing to open their wallets again.” (Jack Gillum, “Obama Lost Many Donors From ’08 Presidential Race,” The Associated Press, 10/27/11)