Do they really believe it? – Probably not. It’s another pathetic plea for $3 to artificially inflate their small donor numbers.

Via USA Today:

President Obama’s re-election team is using bad polls to try and raise campaign cash.

In a fundraising e-mail sent last out last night, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina writes: “If the general election were held today, President Obama would lose to Mitt Romney — according to the latest poll from Washington Post-ABC News.”

Later Messina tells supporters, “if the idea of a President Romney scares you, it’s time to own a piece of this campaign — donate $3 or more today.”

The survey cited by Messina did give Romney a small lead, but within the margin of error. Still, recent surveys show Obama’s approval ratings falling, and tighter races with Romney and other potential Republican opponents, in large part because of rising gas prices and continued anxiety about the economy.

Messina notes that “many other polls put the President on top, but all point to the same reality: We’re looking at a race that will be tighter than you think.”

“And,” he adds, “the other side has groups ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to tear down President Obama.”