Curiously, Obama campaign struggles to raise cash as gas prices, inflation, and bankruptcies increase

Even the The New York Times is no longer able to ignore the obvious: Barack Obama is having a very, very difficult time raising money for his 2012 campaign.

Obama Sees Steep Dropoff in Cash From Major Donors

From Wall Street to Hollywood, from doctors and lawyers, the traditional big sources of campaign cash are not delivering for the Obama campaign as they did four years ago. The falloff has left his fund-raising totals running behind where they were at the same point in 2008 — though well ahead of Mr. Romney’s — and has induced growing concern among aides and supporters...

...With big checks no longer flowing as quickly into his campaign, Mr. Obama is leaning harder on his grass-roots supporters, whose small contributions make up well over half of the money he raised through the end of March...

...“They clearly are feeling the pressure,” said one major Obama fund-raiser, who asked for anonymity to characterize his conversations with campaign officials. “They’re behind where they expected to be. You have to factor in $500 million-plus in Republican super PAC money.”

...Mr. Obama has held more than a hundred joint fund-raisers since last spring, far more than President George W. Bush during his 2004 re-election, and has tucked fund-raising stops into many of his official presidential trips.

...All told, about 58 percent of Mr. Obama’s total fund-raising during the election has come in checks of less than $200, compared with about 38 percent in 2008. In March alone, Mr. Obama took in $14.2 million worth of checks under $200 — more than all the money his campaign raised in February.

Even Obama's SuperPACs are suffering. The Hill reported today that Priorities USA is begging Bill "Did somebody say 'Columbian Hookers'?" Clinton for fundraising help.

And if you're on Obama's various mailing lists -- as I am -- you're sure to have noticed that his appeals for cash are now structured as contests. The entry fee is always the same: $3. And you're enticed with the offer to eat dinner with he and Michelle (caution: just keep clear of her hands and mouth while food is served), a chance to win a date with Bill Maher, or an opportunity to vacation in Spain.

Not only is Obama struggling in his fundraising, but he's also turning out to be political poison within the Democrat political establishment. Key Congressional representatives are openly badmouthing his policies. Democrat candidates, who flocked to him in 2008, are advised to stay as far away from him as possible.

There's much work to be done to defeat Obama in 2012. But these are encouraging signs.