Obama looks like a loser, but can still fall back on the thug thing

Recent polls suggest that Barack Obama is now so unpopular that he is in position to pioneer a perverse form of campaign fund-raising.

The Democrat candidate for governor of Texas, Bill White, is carefully absenting himself while Obama visits Texas for two fund raising events.

The Quinnipiac Poll shows more Americans are opposed to Obama than are for him. It also shows that a generic Republican would beat Obama if a contest were held today.

This is a perfect setting for thug-style fund-raising for Obama's uphill run for reelection in 2012, assumng he makes one.

What the Obama team should do is lay out a nationwide schedule of fund-raising, on Obama's behalf, with emphasis on the biggest and richest states. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign should quietly inform the hosts that, in return for a quiet contribution, Obama could be persuaded not to show up.

The chief virtue of this approach is that it would not interrupt Obama's golfing. Besides being profitable, this scheme would cement the Obama team's thuggish reputation at a time when thuggishness is starting to look like Obama's only hope of reelection.

Romney leads in early race for campaign contributions

Mitt Romney’s political action committee blew away his potential rivals’, according to reports, in money raised during the latest fundraising period. Meanwhile, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich’s political groups combined raised nearly twice as much as Romney, though most was raised through a 527 group that doesn’t have the fundraising limits that the other PACs do.

Romney’s Free and Strong America PAC brought in $1.8 million during the April to June reporting period and has about $2.2 million cash on hand.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s SarahPAC raised $865,815.42, and has just more than a million cash on hand, according to reports.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Freedom First PAC raised $724,000, with $940,000 cash on hand.

Former Alaska Gov. Mike Huckabee’s HuckPAC reportedly raised $258,000.

And Gingrich raised $3.5 million, the majority of which came from American Solutions, a 527 which by law cannot advocate the election or defeat of any candidate.