President Obama had a rough day in the soundbite wars after declaring that “the private sector is doing fine,” but that won’t stop him from having a banner day in fundraising this afternoon.
The president is joining 20 donors for “an intimate affair” at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C., according to the pool reporter. It’s a private event without media coverage. The attendees are paying $40,000 per person to meet with Obama, meaning the fundraiser will rake in $800,000 for his campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and other state parties.
This morning, Obama said “the private sector is doing fine” during a press conference. “The big challenge we have in our economy right now is state and local government hiring has been going in the wrong direction,” he said, calling for Congress to bailout the states that have laid off public employees as cost-cutting measures.
Mitt Romney pounced, declaring Obama “out of touch” with struggling Americans. “The private sector is not doing well,” House Speaker John Boehner said, admonishing the president in a rebuttal press conference.
The president walked back the comment later in the day. “”It is absolutely clear that the economy is not doing fine,” he said. “That’s why I had a press conference.”
Today’s fundraiser comes the day after the Obama campaign told supporters “we got beat” by Mitt Romney in May fundraising. “We don’t have the special-interest and high-dollar donor advantage that Romney has,” Obama campaign manager Jim Messina wrote. “Barack Obama has you, and we are bound and determined to fight back on behalf of a country where everyone gets a fair shot and a fair shake.”
