New urgency for Team Obama

[Geee]

TheHill:

A new urgency has swept into President Obama’s campaign as disappointing fundraising numbers have emerged alongside the shaky economy as a major threat to his prospects for reelection.

While the president’s aides originally maintained they wouldn’t be moving from “zero to 60” when they launched their campaign in May, now, with less than four months until Election Day, it appears they’re pushing down harder on the pedal.

 

Since his Independence Day break, when Obama took a couple of days of downtime at Camp David, the president hasn’t let up, holding almost daily campaign events. There have been high-dollar fundraisers, a bus tour (complete with handshaking and baby-holding in restaurants, a farm stand and a bakery) and battleground rallies, all of which seek to control the national discussion.

There have been internal changes as well: A new traveling campaign press secretary now accompanies Obama on trips alongside White House spokesman Jay Carney to brief traveling journalists.

And Obama has canceled his annual Martha’s Vineyard vacation next month, likely to spend more time on the road.

A senior Obama campaign official said while there’s some concern about the amount of money being raised on the Republican side, especially by outside groups — including Karl Rove’s American Crossroads super-PAC — “it’s only natural that less than four months before an election … things are going to pick up dramatically for both sides.

“It’s July, and the election is in November,” the official said, comparing Obama’s new schedule to those of previous incumbent presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. “This is crunch time right now, because this is when people are tuning in.”

One former administration official agreed: “You can’t let all the airspace be occupied by the other side. Especially during this election.”

But the former official said the sea change, especially with the tidal wave of GOP cash, is palpable.