Hm: Is Team Obama preparing to release weak fundraising numbers?

The perpetual Obama campaign sent out the following email today (the pic at the right was not included):

Friend —
We’re closing the books on the first fundraising quarter of the 2012 race at midnight tomorrow.

A lot of folks will be interpreting our numbers as a measure of this campaign’s support.

They’re not wrong, but they are wrong about why.

We measure our success not in dollars but in people — in the number of everyday Americans who’ve chosen to give whatever they can afford because they know we’ve got more work to do.

It doesn’t take a communications pro to read between the lines here: Obama’s fundraising numbers are weaker than they expected them to be, and this email is equal parts begging and ground prep for negative press reports they believe will ensue from their numbers. The first billion dollar campaign may be facing a rougher fundraising environment than they expected. Jewish Democrats, for one constituency, seem to be deciding against funding an Obama repeat.

The email did include a PS, reminding donors that they will get automatically enrolled in the Dinner with Barack and Joe raffle.