RNC chairman says Obama is a great fundraiser, bad president

The chairman of the Republican National Committee brushed off President Obama’s record-fundraising announcement Wednesday, saying no amount of money can make up for the president’s shoddy economic record.

Reince Priebus, who inherited a national party machine deep in debt earlier this year, said despite the fact that Obama and the Democratic National Committee outraised all the GOP presidential contenders combined, there’s little doubt that the eventual GOP nominee will be able to compete.

“I don’t think anyone is going to lose an election in 2012 for president for lack of funds,” Priebus told reporters on a conference call. “I think we’re going to have total saturation on both sides of the aisle. And this election is going to come down to one question, which is: Am I better off today than I was four years ago. And the answer to that question is clearly no.”

Obama’s fundraising report -- with $86 million raised jointly by his campaign and the DNC -- shows that he has been focused more on campaigning than governing, Priebus added.

“I think it would be better for the American people if the president would focus on getting our debt and deficit under control as he’s promised. But he’s obviously not doing that,” he said.

The RNC raised $6.2 million in May, according to the most recently filed disclosure statement. The party had $6.1 million cash on hand, but nearly $18.5 million in outstanding debts.

The role of the national parties has been diminished somewhat, however, by the growth of independent 527 groups and “super PACs” that will play a major role in the 2012 campaign.

Crossroads GPS, a group founded by former George W. Bush political advisor Karl Rove, is spending $20 million this summer alone on ads criticizing Obama on the economy.

The RNC launched its own 60-second commercial this week (see video below); it includes Obama’s remarks on the economy during his 2008 Democratic National Convention speech, set against contemporary statistics on employment and debt.

The ad is to air in battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Hampshire. Each state went for Obama in 2008 and John Kerry in 2004, but RNC political director Rick Wiley said the president’s campaign should “think twice about taking too many states from his 2008 coalition for granted.”