As someone who wants to see President Obama win re-election, nothing is gained by denying that three things from last week -- his comments on the private sector, the Wisconsin results, and the campaigns' fundraising reports -- hurt his re-election prospects. They did.

While it's clear that President Obama's comment that "the private sector is doing fine" was meant relative to the decline in jobs in the public sector, you can bet that the full context of his remarks won't make it into the attacks ads based on the comment that Romney and his Super PACs have already begun releasing. Handing your opponents a gaffe is never good -- but it's made worse at a time when anxiety about the economy is surging again.    

And when it comes to Wisconsin and money, the two are intertwined.

There was never any question that if Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker survived the recall election last week, the Romney campaign would say his victory was about President Obama and his stimulus policies.