Booker Gaffe Reveals Democratic Divide

Meet the Press has lately become a forum for campaign flubs from President Obama?s leading surrogates. For the second time in three weeks, a leading Obama supporter went on the show and stomped on the campaign message.

First, Vice President Joe Biden caused Team Obama headaches on gay marriage, and then on Sunday Newark Mayor Cory Booker undermined the campaign?s central argument against Mitt Romney?s private equity work.

Booker condemned the Obama campaign?s attacks on Romney?s record ? along with the GOP attacks against former Obama pastor Jeremiah Wright ? as something he was very ?uncomfortable with? and later called those types of negative ads ?nauseating.?? Making matter worse, his post-show damage control consisted of a Tweet calling on Obama to elevate the rhetoric like in 2008,? a subtle reminder that 2012 is not the same campaign the president ran four years ago.

Within hours, the Obama campaign was doing rapid-fire cleanup, with Booker taping a four-minute video explaining his remarks and the Obama campaign excerpting a portion of it to suggest the mayor was backtracking on what he said.

Booker?s comments reflected an uncomfortable reality within the Democratic coalition. Obama made significant inroads with wealthy voters, and a good chunk of his campaign cash that year came from well-heeled Wall Street contributors. But as Obama?s rhetoric has turned populist to capitalize on Romney?s biographical vulnerabilities, he?s alienated elements of that coalition. Booker isn?t the only high-profile Democrat with Wall Street connections raising questions about the Obama campaign?s populist appeals. Similar criticisms have been heard from Obama adviser Steve Rattner, former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., and JPMorgan Chase?s Jamie Dimon.

The timing of Booker?s comments could not have been worse, with the Obama campaign debuting another video portraying Romney as a corporate raider (this time, at Indiana paper company AmPad). The Obama campaign clearly feels they have a winning line of attack, but the strategy is not without risk.

?Josh Kraushaar, Hotline Executive Editor

NATIONAL JOURNAL?S PRIMARY REPORT

CAMPAIGN FINANCE NEWS

Mitt Romney, Barack Obama in Tight Money Race
[Politico, 5/21/12] The money raised by Super PACs and other groups supporting Romney, combined with that raised by his campaign, outpaces Obama and his supportive organizations by about $62 million, according to a Politico analysis. Romney's groups have less cash on hand than Obama at this point, but they're clearly still in the game.

Ex-Rivals' Donors Didn't Flock to Romney in April
[USA Today, 5/21/12] Donors to former Romney rivals have still kept their purse strings shut tight, despite the fact that he is the clear GOP nominee at this point, further illustrating the work Romney will have to do to win over much of the Republican party's conservative base before November.

Priorities USA Action Continues Lackluster Fundraising
[Huffington Post, 5/21/12] Priorities USA Action, the pro-Obama super PAC, has not been able to match Romney?s super PAC in fundraising. In April, the committee brought in only $1.58 million, according to April FEC reports. Restore Our Future and American Crossroads super PACs have been dominant thus far.

Obama Campaign Spending About Half of Total Raised
[Wall Street Journal, 5/20/12] The burn rate of the Obama campaign is high in part because the campaign is such a large operation, employing 631 people in at least 42 states.

?Super PACs? Let Strategists Off the Leash
[New York Times, 5/20/12] The rise of super PACs has made the lives of party operatives easier in many ways, as they now no longer have to pander to particular candidates; rather, they can spend time working for various super PACs, which give them a bit more room to breathe.

NEWS FROM THE TRAIL

Cory Booker Commits the Classic Washington Gaffe NEW!
[Washington Post, 5/21/12] It's when you tell the truth, writes Chris Cillizza, who argues that it?s a minor moment, but one that will make life difficult for the campaign. Oh, and the Obama camp is out with a new attack on a different Bain entity -- Ampad.

Romney Faced Leadership Test in Big Dig Tragedy
[Associated Press, 5/21/12] When a construction project disaster in Boston killed a woman in 2006, it posed a challenge to then-Governor Romney. The Big Dig collapse offers insights into the kind of leader the expected Republican nominee would be if elected president; his stiffest leadership test as governor produced mixed results.?

Own It Like a (Rich) Man
[National Review, 5/21/12] Melissa O?Sullivan says Romney should use his wealth to talk about the good things he?s done ? like the time he helped save a lost girl; or how he?s creating jobs with all those workers constructing his mansion in California.

Worst Market Since Reagan Greets Obama Before Election
[Bloomberg, 5/21/12] In part because Obama's hands are tied on spending government funds to boost the economy at this point, he's facing one of the worst markets in modern election history, which won't help him win come November.

Can Obama Beat Back the Anti-Incumbent Fervor?
[The Daily Beast, 5/21/12] There's an anti-incumbent wave sweeping not just much of the U.S. but Europe as well, causing many to wonder whether Obama can turn the trend around and win in November. Paul Begala writes that the only way for Obama to pull it off might be to go extremely negative against Romney.

Romney Faces Foreign Policy Powerhouse in Race Against Obama
[The Hill, 5/21/12] Though Romney has been largely focused on the economy, the recent international summits give Obama yet another opportunity to flex his foreign policy muscle, an area in which Romney remains weak against the president.

In Conservative Media, A ?Race War? Rages
[BuzzFeed, 5/20/12] Conservative media is pushing a "race war" in a number of columns and segments, fueled by recent black-on-white attacks, and the narrative may spill over onto the election, where it could frighten some voters into voting against Obama.

Meet the Romney Campaign?s Snarkiest Wonk
[The New Republic, 5/21/12] Chicago politics are tough. But Romney has a few members of his team who know how to hit back. Joining Eric Fehrnstrom in his brass knuckles-style politics is wonk and heavy hitter Lanhee Chen, the campaign?s policy director.

White House Visitor Logs Provide Window Into Lobbying Industry
[Washington Post, 5/20/12] Though Obama campaigned in 2008 on a promise to change the way Washington works, including a pledge to reduce outside influences on government, a Washington Post analysis reveals lobbyists access the White House easily and often.

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