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By Alexander Burns (
mailto:aburns@politico.com
aburns@politico.com ) and Emily Schultheis (
mailto:eschultheis@politico.com
eschultheis@politico.com )

BREAKING - DEMS WIN JUNE - AGAIN, THANKS TO OBAMA - Democratic campaign committees outraised their GOP counterparts by a margin of $6 million in June, and had a sizable cash on hand advantage at the end of the month. Between the Democratic National Committee, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party brought in $23.2 million and had $37.9 million in the bank, versus $17.2 million raised and $22 million on hand for the Republican National Committee, National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee. Much of the Democrats' overall advantage can be chalked up to President Barack Obama's involvement
in the 2012 money race: The DNC took in $7 million last month through the Obama Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with the president's 2012 campaign. The highest-performing GOP committee last month was the NRCC, which raised $6.7 million and had $11 million on hand. Republican committees had a combined $21 million in debt at the end of June, while the DNC and DCCC owed a combined $16.4 million and the DSCC declined to disclose its debt at press time.

SNEAK PEEK - DEBT FIGHT BECOMES AIR WAR - ON TV: Americans United for Change and the SEIU are going on the air in four Republican House districts today to attack GOP members of congress for "recklessly risking default" in the debt ceiling fight. The ad buy will hit broadcast TV and run through early next week, in the districts of Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy (Wausau market), Minnesota Rep. Chip Cravaack (Duluth market), New York Rep. Richard Hanna (Syracuse market) and Michigan Rep. Dave Camp (Traverse City Market). From the script: "The Republicans in Congress are driving us toward the edge of the cliff ... They're willing to risk it all to protect the tax breaks of millionaires, oil
companies and CEOs who fly around in corporate jets. Even if the rest of us crash and burn." Watch the anti-Duffy spot here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63e578a6f6015d9cbeb5454c87555d0fe67727247f0645bf14d84cc8ea620d42
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=63e578a6f6015d9cbeb5454c87555d0fe67727247f0645bf14d84cc8ea620d42

AND ON THE RADIO: Let Freedom Ring, a conservative group rallying opposition to a debt ceiling increase, is starting a radio campaign in three states pressuring Democratic senators to support the Cut, Cap and Balance Act when it comes up for a vote this Saturday. The targets are Montana Sen. Jon Tester, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson, and the ads begin running today during the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity shows. From the script: "Ratings agencies S&P and Moody's have warned that the U.S. will lose its AAA credit rating without real, long-term debt reduction, and only one plan on the table meets this test: Cut, Cap and Balance." Let Freedom Ring calls the ads a
"mid-size" buy, placed by the GOP firm OnMessage Inc. They'll run in seven Montana markets, nine West Virginia markets and nine Nebraska markets. Listen to the Nebraska ad here:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4558faeb22ade0bc314a79449a1b1d0f33f578cb7690ff5d0b22205c7eb2f865
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=4558faeb22ade0bc314a79449a1b1d0f33f578cb7690ff5d0b22205c7eb2f865

POPPING IN MICH. - DEFINING HOEKSTRA - The Michigan Democratic Party will attempt to damage ex-Rep. Pete Hoekstra before his Senate campaign gets off the launch pad, attacking him for joining a law and lobbying firm that defended Bernie Madoff. Coming today from the Dems: "When it was time to cash out, Hoekstra joined Dickstein Shapiro, a lobbying shop in Washington that had recently finished defending Bernie Madoff ... 'Of the thousands of lobbying shops in Washington, Pete Hoekstra picked the one that meshed best with his own anti-middle class record - the one that just finished defending a guy who ran history's largest ponzi-scheme. If that doesn't reinforce every point ever made about
Hoekstra siding with special interests at the expense of the middle class, nothing will,' said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer."

As Colorado makes calendar-related noise, the Santorum family goes on the road and Allen West may or may not have apologized, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily guide to the permanent campaign.

THE 2012 NARRATIVE - OBAMA SHRUGS AT GOP FIELD: The president stopped short of calling the Republican presidential candidates "irrelevant" in a television interview Wednesday, but framed the 2012 election primarily as a referendum on his own leadership abilities. AP: "Obama said ... he'll be re-elected for a second term if voters feel like he's been on their side, working as hard as he can and getting things done. 'If they don't,' the president said, 'then I'll lose' ... 'That's not to say that the other candidate is irrelevant,' Obama said, 'but it does mean that I'm probably going to win or lose depending on their assessment of my stewardship.' The president made his comments in an
interview with KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Mo. He was responding to a question about who in the Republican field could beat him, but Obama declined to speculate, saying he was too occupied to be spending a lot of time worrying about the GOP hopefuls."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=0ce506f6cc0c43ca185406d3de3f04259beece62cb3fc4dfbf2cc679b454c691
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MONEY TALKER - "2008 bundlers flee Obama 'machine'" - POLITICO's Smith & Haberman & Tau take stock of the president's bundling operation: "Four years later, many of [Obama's 2008] bundlers say they won't be coming back. For reasons ranging from disillusion and dissatisfaction to an overriding sense that the once idealistic Obama crusade has become yet another soulless political behemoth, that inspired cadre of early Obama supporters has largely been replaced by professional Democratic Party operatives ... 'It's a political machine now,' said Pete Garcia, the chief financial officer of a Washington State biotech company who fell for Obama early and hard in 2008 ... Obama has lost another
share of top bundlers for other reasons: they're ambassadors or other appointees, with plum embassies from London to Luxembourg now occupied by top fundraisers. About half of the very top tier of bundlers, those who brought in more than $500,000, were rewarded with political appointments."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c56e8ec7b20723787aa24a31a3bb0336468a31f638d9ea680dd3b79ad17c38f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6c56e8ec7b20723787aa24a31a3bb0336468a31f638d9ea680dd3b79ad17c38f

POLLING SIREN: TIE GAME - For the first time in a year, Public Policy Polling shows President Obama has lost his general election lead over Mitt Romney. Romney isn't ahead of Obama, but the two are tied at 45 percent in PPP's latest national poll. That's the latest ominous sign for the president's reelection in a series of national polls this week. PPP: "An extremely wide electability gap has developed between Romney and all the rest of the Republican candidates. Everyone else we tested trails Obama by at least as much as John McCain's 2008 margin of defeat and in most cases more ... Obama's numbers are worse than they appear to be on the surface. The vast majority of the undecideds in all
of these match ups disapprove of the job Obama's doing but aren't committing to a candidate yet while they wait to see how the Republican field shakes out."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dfcd6f5595ec68f083afc2d8c12630345f388123a7ed657c13d4f8d2ecb392f
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=3dfcd6f5595ec68f083afc2d8c12630345f388123a7ed657c13d4f8d2ecb392f

PLUS - ROMNEY LEADS POST PRIMARY POLL: A just-published Washington Post/ABC News survey shows Romney holding steady with 30 percent of the GOP primary vote, followed by Michele Bachmann at 16 percent, Ron Paul at 11 percent, Rick Perry at 8 percent, Herman Cain at 7 percent, Newt Gingrich at 6 percent and Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty at 3 percent each.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b97ab857abdbd168101dff339e0cc751727ee47db96159de56f5d9430748c15d
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=b97ab857abdbd168101dff339e0cc751727ee47db96159de56f5d9430748c15d

SPEAKING OF TPAW - REVISES, EXTENDS ON BACHMANN - Tim Pawlenty told Fox's Greta Van Susteren last night that he considers reports about Michele Bachmann's chronic migraines "mostly a sideshow," explaining: "I've never seen her have a medical condition or impairment that would seem to be a concern." That was a significant softening of tone since earlier Wednesday, when Pawlenty said that candidates would "have to be able to demonstrate they can do all of the job all of the time," and noted that he's not a medical professional with training to evaluate Bachmann's condition. Pawlenty's comments on Fox put him more in line with other GOP candidates, like Mitt Romney, who said Bachmann's health
"should not be an issue" in the 2012 race, and Jon Huntsman, whose spokesman Tim Miller said it would be "reprehensible" to "try and make an issue of another candidate's minor medical problem for their own political advantage ahead of a straw poll." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=6e133fb6de292f235f5412b4a50ad708380a6ae0e40c376c8feb0fd31cde9cf1 and
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d23c785ebb9cbffbbb8b36d0fb68e52873abc216a36fb06ce058cc4cd1e128e8
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d23c785ebb9cbffbbb8b36d0fb68e52873abc216a36fb06ce058cc4cd1e128e8 and
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ec38114e35dc5c6236e53531e736c36275c6dc2c4ab407a9c4e45333d4d59b58
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ec38114e35dc5c6236e53531e736c36275c6dc2c4ab407a9c4e45333d4d59b58

AND YET - BACHMANN KEEPS RESPONDING - The Minnesota congresswoman continued to roll out testimonials to her good health, releasing a doctor's note Wednesday that said her "migraines occur infrequently and have known trigger factors of which you are aware and know how to avoid." Bachmann's brother, Paul Amble, told POLITICO's Molly Ball that he has never seen the candidate "unable to intellectually function or carry on her tasks" due to headaches.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb6b93b6acb6205aabef6a9f2e8435d8ca2d71b60d19c9a0b30616169278feac
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=fb6b93b6acb6205aabef6a9f2e8435d8ca2d71b60d19c9a0b30616169278feac

PERRY PRIMES THE PUMP IN CALIFORNIA: The Texas governor met privately with about 30 potential fundraisers in Los Angeles Wednesday, the AP reports. The event, organized by California GOP mega-fundraiser Renee Croce, took place at a hotel in the Century City neighborhood, and represented Perry's third trip to California since June 12. One participant, investor Michael Fourtico, said he believes Perry will have the resources he needs to run: "I think the money is there." According to the Wall Street Journal, Perry supporters believe he'd need to raise $10 million "in a matter of months" in order to be competitive: "Some big Perry donors are skeptical whether they can raise that much quickly
under federal rules. But others suggest that the enthusiasm in moneyed Texas circles for a strong challenger to President Barack Obama could flush out cash at a pace far brisker than during the gubernatorial campaign."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5b71da92ee907f7b2ff9166ced62f21fbda29bf1dcefbf6ef54196f6586b50f7
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5b71da92ee907f7b2ff9166ced62f21fbda29bf1dcefbf6ef54196f6586b50f7 and
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be20cdd7c14291c90eab842112fdff70f3cbbb4ba721a1026e3a6508bea3dbdb
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=be20cdd7c14291c90eab842112fdff70f3cbbb4ba721a1026e3a6508bea3dbdb

NEWT DRAFT SITE:
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=ba69bee9ae0ccd6974994a8bcc1d2cf34037b842adb263b1ab5187024395b930
www.timeforperry.com ... "America needs leadership. We want to get back to work. It's time for Rick Perry."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2c089435e308c75299e60eb38616564e7ff0de5ee42a763f5a8a8d23638bd90c
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=2c089435e308c75299e60eb38616564e7ff0de5ee42a763f5a8a8d23638bd90c

MORE - TO THE SOUND OF THE GUNS: Americans for Rick Perry, the 527 group set up to draft him for the presidential race, is poised to collect a gang of activists in the state of South Carolina who had previously organized to urge Jim DeMint into the campaign. The Texas Tribune: "The pro-Perry group has inherited a bunch of volunteers, with a heavy concentration in the crucial primary state of South Carolina, from a similar draft group once committed to conservative U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina ... 'We realized that Rick Perry is a conservative who can beat Obama,' said Angela Toft, former director for the now-disbanded group behind DeMint. She said the group had 4,700 members
nationwide."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d8881548ce60a9c9a0c418a1063a39ad1d178379a81daa80c57a6af8904b818
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5d8881548ce60a9c9a0c418a1063a39ad1d178379a81daa80c57a6af8904b818

CALENDAR WATCH - COLORADO STIRS UP TROUBLE: The 2012 primary calendar is already unsettled and Colorado may shake things up even more by moving its GOP caucuses to Feb. 6, the current date for Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses. The Colorado Statesman reported that Colorado, which is currently scheduled to hold caucuses on March 6, would only move if other states jumped the gun as well and early voters like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina also move forward. Said state GOP Chairman Ryan Call: "We want to make sure Colorado's interests are being protected while balancing the needs for a thoughtful and effective nomination calendar."
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d36a59c9317d305b88dcd7740bc21f4e94b0ea6e624fbe78d0456cbe638db2ba
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=d36a59c9317d305b88dcd7740bc21f4e94b0ea6e624fbe78d0456cbe638db2ba

SANTORUM DECAMPS - TAKES FAMILY TO IOWA: They call this move the "Chris Dodd." Rick Santorum is bringing his wife, Karen, and their seven children to Iowa for the next month, POLITICO's Dan Hirschhorn reports. They'll stay in hotels around the state until the Ames straw poll on Aug. 13 and accompany the former Pennsylvania senator to campaign events. Hirschhorn notes that since Santorum is low on paid staffers, his family may end up representing much of the surrogate base he has in a state where ground organization counts.
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80382397e6ffe5ea1dafd5b8b335ec63e7c1602c7b1e3bad35932181b6b7909b
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=80382397e6ffe5ea1dafd5b8b335ec63e7c1602c7b1e3bad35932181b6b7909b

CODA - QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Absolutely false. The congressman is waiting on an apology for the congresswoman." - Allen West spokeswoman Angela Sachitano, denying the congressman's own claim that he apologized to fellow Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for sending her an over-the-top hostile email
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5bfcaf3087e81e9b8166fc83e74508ceb2dc69e5f2563d0f8564c42399895a08
http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=5bfcaf3087e81e9b8166fc83e74508ceb2dc69e5f2563d0f8564c42399895a08

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