Friend --
Congressman Paul Ryan is the poster boy for the extreme Republican leadership in a Congress whose overall approval rating is 12 percent. His plan to dismantle Medicare is deeply unpopular with the general public, and especially undecided voters.
You might be wondering why the hell Romney  picked this guy. But this is a strategic pick that carries real danger for us.
Here's the calculation: Mitt Romney doesn't need or expect Paul Ryan to convince even one undecided voter to cast their ballot for him. That's not what he's on the ticket for. He's there to reassure and inspire ultraconservative ideologues and corporate interests that they will have one of their own a heartbeat from the presidency.
That means tens or even hundreds of millions more dollars for the Romney campaign and the array of outside groups supporting him – and if current trends hold, more than 90 percent of that money will be spent on TV ads -- lying, distorting and trashing Barack Obama. Those ads will have more impact on undecided voters than anything Paul Ryan himself does or says.
Mitt Romney is convinced that picking Paul Ryan is a great investment for him. And his campaign is already touting the pledges and donations they've received as a result, with fundraising events planned for this week.
We're already being outraised, and we can't afford to fall further behind. Our records show that you're still waiting to make your first online donation -- now is the time.
Please donate $5 or more today:
https://donate.barackobama.com/Romney-Ryan

So rather than focus on what might be wrong with Obama’s message, which just might be causing this lag in donations and support, let’s trash the opponent in a fundraising email and accuse them of doing the same thing we’re doing.

           Friend –

         I’m so jealous of you that I can barely write the rest of this email.

         Imagine shooting hoops with Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing, Sheryl Swoopes, Kyrie Irving, and Alonzo Mourning. Oh, and you’ll get to meet President Obama and Michael Jordan over dinner, too.
Now stop dreaming and make it happen. You and a guest of your choice could join President Obama and some of the greatest basketball stars for a special night at the Obama Classic. Pitch in $3 or whatever you can, and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win.

Hit the court with Patrick Ewing and Melo? Trade stories with the President? This is the kind of stuff your kids will tell their kids, and no one will believe it until you show them a photo. Don’t worry if suiting up with hoops stars isn’t your thing. I know you’ve got a kid or a friend who would love nothing more than to play with their heroes while you cheer them on from a courtside seat.

        If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to chip in and support the President, it’s time to get off the bench.  Donate $3 to automatically get your name in the hat:

        https://donate.barackobama.com/Obama-Classic

Again, let’s not talk about Obama’s record and accomplishments, which should be enough to get donations and wild support.  Let’s cause a diversion by involving the NBA which should be an a-political organization.

“I will be the first president in modern history to be outspent in his re-election campaign, if things continue as they have so far.  I’m not just talking about the super PACs and anonymous outside groups — I’m talking about the Romney campaign itself. Those outside groups just add even more to the underlying problem.
The Romney campaign raises more than we do, and the math isn’t hard to understand: Through the primaries, we raised almost three-quarters of our money from donors giving less than $1,000, while Mitt Romney’s campaign raised more than three-quarters of its money from individuals giving $1,000 or more.  And, again, that’s not including the massive outside spending by super PACs and front groups funneling up to an additional billion dollars into ads trashing me, you, and everything we believe in.”
“More than 2.2 million Americans have already chipped in for us, and I’m so grateful for it. As we face this week’s fundraising deadline, will you make a donation of $3 or more today?  Every donation you make today automatically enters you to join Michelle and me for one of the last grassroots dinners of this campaign…
      These dinners represent how we do things differently. My opponent spent this past weekend at a secretive retreat for the biggest donors to both his campaign and the super PACs that support him.
      I’ve got other responsibilities I’m attending to.”
It's funny that when campaigning and begging for money, the math isn't so hard to understand.  Yet no budget since he's been in office.  And what were those responsibilities that he was attending to?  He went and played his 101st golf game.  Yes, he does do things differently.