The Politico fills in some of the backstory on Camp Obama’s June fundraising.

Jeanne Cummings reports that $21 million came from the un-itemized small donors (below $200) throughout the month, and not all on the last day as initial summary of Obama’s donations posted on the FEC website had led some to believe.  Though I would still hypothesize that the bulk of that money came in when Obama effectively locked up the nomination, it appears that Camp Obama did an online fundraising blitz at the end of June, which suggests the campaign was looking to pump up the numbers (perhaps in hopes of breaking their February record).  Nor can I entirely discount that there may have been something to the more dire rumors that were floated before Obama reported.

However, Cummings brushes past one of the big pictures:

It also is the minimum the Illinois senator will need to generate each month between now and November if he is to match the more than $200 million budget the Republicans have set for boosting McCain’s campaign.

This probably explains Obama campaign manager David Plouffe’s mid-July online money beg also.  Team Obama had a near-record month in June, but needs to be shattering those records to rake in the money needed to stick with their decision to forego public financing.

Cummings rightly notes that Camp Obama’s spending priorities to date diverge from those of John McCain’s effort:

The two candidates spent about the same amount of money in June — Obama spent $26 million and McCain spent $27 million.

But their priorities were entirely different as Obama began building what his campaign says will be an unprecedented, nationwide ground operation.

Regular pw visitors know I am a big fan of organization, though there has to be synergy with other elements of the campaign.  Patrick Ruffini has two new pieces up relevant here.  First, he has a piece about how the Rovian model of winning on organization and turnout is likely behing the media’s focus on the “enthusiasm gap,” and what that may imply for future elections.  Second, Ruffini brings his experience to explaining how campaigns use microtargeting, as the media is a bit confused as to what it is and how it works.  Ruffini notes the danger in over-segmenting the market and argues that microtargeting is better used to find your “One True Supporter” — which is why Obama is smart to be sticking with his broad themes of Hopeyness and Changitude.

Update: Allahpundit raises an important point I intended to make — and then dropped the ball:

So “large” donors accounted for $31 million, almost 50% more than small donors, notwithstanding the conventional wisdom in Obamaland that he was foregoing public financing in order to accommodate all the common folk who were itching to donate to him.

This likely fits in with the mid-July solicitation from Plouffe.  Those big donors are more likely to max out quickly.  Thus, Obama likely needs to make up the difference with the small donors, which may require regular solicitations during the doldrums leading up to the Democratic National Convention.

 (h/t Memeorandum.)