Obama campaign sounds the alarm over Romney’s $100 million haul

President Barack Obama says he's not worried about Mitt Romney's prodigious fundraising. But his campaign sounded the alarm Friday about the Republican standard-bearer's eye-popping $100 million haul in June and warned Democrats to open their wallets—before it's too late.

"If we don't take this seriously now, we risk finding ourselves at a point where there is too much ground to make up," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said in an email request for cash. Subject line: "URGENT."

"Romney and the Republicans announced yesterday that they brought in more than $100 million in June. For context, that's about what we raised in April and May combined," Messina wrote.

"We're still tallying our own numbers, but this means their gap is getting wider, and if it continues at this pace, it could cost us the election," he said, asking for immediate donations that he promised "can start reversing this trend in just a few hours."

Messina name-checked the Koch brothers, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and Karl Rove—all boogeymen to liberals.

The appeal landed just hours after Obama told a cheering crowd in Poland, Ohio, that he wasn't afraid of the mountain of cash about to be spent against him.

"Over the next four months, you will be bombarded with more negative ads. You've got these super PACs, millionaires, billionaires writing $10 million checks, just pouring, raining down on my head," he said.

An audience member shouted, "That's all right."

"Oh, no, it is all right, because I'm tough. I'm skinny but I'm tough. I am," Obama said, drawing cheers and applause.

"But the main reason it's going to be OK is because of you. What I learned in 2008 was that when ordinary Americans decide what's right, when they commit to working together to bring about a better day, they can't be stopped. You can't be stopped."