The Republicans are gathering in Tampa -- and we're nearing one of the most important deadlines in this campaign.

There'll be a lot of chatter this week -- a lot of press, a lot of speculation, and a lot of who's-up-who's-down poll-watching. For many people, this election is going to get real very quickly. And I promise you that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan's backers will be doing some serious spending to take advantage of the spotlight.

Here's my advice:

Keep your eye on the ball.

From an America that respects women, to a health care system that doesn't discriminate against those who need it the most, to an administration that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the middle class, there's a heck of a lot on the line.

If you can, please donate $X or more before our big deadline on Friday to help support the final phase of Barack's and my campaign -- and help Democrats up and down the ticket win.

When Barack talks about winning this election, he's not just talking about beating the other guys. He's in it for our kids and grandkids.

So while the Republicans gather to finalize their ticket this week, and while Mitt Romney practices his acceptance speech, let's stick together and go win this thing.

Donate $X or more today:

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Thanks,

Joe

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The first $X of a contribution to OVF 2012 will be allocated to Obama for America with the first $X designated for the primary election, and the next $X for the general election . The next $X of a contribution will be allocated to the Democratic National Committee. Any additional amounts from a contributor will be divided among the State Democratic Party Committees as follows, up to $X per committee and subject to the biennial aggregate limits: FL 17% ; OH 16% ; PA 13% ; CO 11% ; NC 11% ; VA 11% ; NV 6% ; WI 6% ; IA 5% ; and NH 4% . A contributor may designate his or her contribution for a particular participant. The allocation formula above may change if following it would result in an excessive contribution. Contributions to OVF 2012 will be used in connection with a Federal election, and may be spent on any activities of the participant committees as each committee determines in its sole discretion and will not be earmarked for any particular candidate.

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