The New York Times reports President Obama’s re-election campaign “is charting an alternative course to re-election should he be unable to win Ohio and other industrial states traditionally essential to Democratic presidential victories.”

“Without conceding ground anywhere, Mr. Obama is fighting hard for Southern and Rocky Mountain states he won in 2008, and some he did not, in calculating how to assemble the necessary 270 electoral votes. He is seeking to prove that those victories on formerly Republican turf were not flukes but the start of a trend that will make Democrats competitive there for years.”

Said strategist David Axelrod: “There are a lot of ways for us to get to 270, and it’s not just the traditional map. That’s why we’re laying the groundwork across the country to compete on the widest possible playing field next year.”

The Daily Beast compiles the top eight highlights from Herman Cain’s forthcoming book, This is Herman Cain!, in case you weren’t going to read it.

The conventional wisdom, expressed again Politico and others, is that it may be too late for Chris Christie — or anyone else — to jump into the presidential race.

“With the initial primary and caucus states poised to move up their contests to January, an October announcement means that Christie would immediately confront two questions of some urgency: where would he compete and how would he get on the ballot in an array of states coming in rapid succession.”

But Walter Shapiro doesn’t buy it: “Jump-starting a campaign was certainly not a panacea for Tim Pawlenty, who might actually be an intriguing figure in the GOP race if he had entered it about now… In a 21st century media age — when images can be forged in minutes — it may matter less when you get in the presidential race than what you do when you get there.”

With the 3rd quarter ending today, we’ll begin to see fundraising reports from the presidential candidates.

First Read: “It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the Texas governor, but a strong fundraising showing — say in the neighborhood of $15 million since announcing his bid in mid-August — would give him a much-needed boost and would solidify his chances of competing financially with Mitt Romney (who raised $18 million last quarter). More than that amount would signal some SERIOUS fundraising chops for Perry, while less than that would be considered trouble for him… Right now, Perry World is simply promising more than $10 million.”

“Besides Perry, the other big players are expected to post fundraising numbers less than what they raised in the 2nd quarter.”

The Fix: “If Romney’s number is indeed between $11 million and $13 million, then Rick Perry’s team has its target. The name of the game is beating Romney, period. Perry’s team has beat back a report that suggested it pulled in $20 million in the opening days of the campaign, noting that much of that was pledges.”

Michael Kinsley: “Look, I’m sorry, but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cannot be president: He is just too fat. Maybe, if he runs for president and we get to know him, we will overlook this awkward issue because we are so impressed with the way he stands up to teachers’ unions. But we shouldn’t overlook it — unless he goes on a diet and shows he can stick to it.”

Eugene Robinson: “Christie’s problem with weight ceased being a private matter when he stepped into the public arena — and it’s not something you can fail to notice. Obesity is a national epidemic whose costs are measured not just in dollars and cents but also in lives. Christie’s weight is as legitimate an issue as the smoking habit that President Obama says he has finally kicked.”

Of course, Jon Corzine tried to bring up Christie’s weight in a tough campaign ad and that didn’t work out so well.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) “is seriously rethinking his months of denials and may launch a campaign for the White House after all,” the Newark Star Ledger reports.

“In the last week, Christie has been swayed away from his earlier refusals to run by an aggressive draft effort from a cadre of Republicans and donors unhappy with the GOP field, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.”

A new SurveyUSA poll in Florida finds Mitt Romney leading the Republican presidential pack with 27%, followed closely by Herman Cain at 25% and Rick Perry at 13%.

The remainder of the field: Newt Gingrich at 6%, Pon Paul at 5%, Michele Bachmann at 5%, Jon Huntsman at 3% and Rick Santorum at 2%.

O. Kay Henderson has the audio of a testy exchange today:

Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times: “With the fundraising quarter coming to a close, what…”

Newt Gingrich: “See, I knew you couldn’t resist. I’m not going to answer you. I think you should, you should really go home and think about why you would even ask that today.”

“Even though 50-some percent of the American people think the economy
tanked because of the last administration, that’s not relevant. What’s relevant is we’re in charge.”

— Vice President Biden, quoted by CBS News, pointing out that it is “totally legitimate” that the 2012 election be a referendum on the Obama administration.

Jon Huntsman is moving his presidential campaign headquarters from Florida to New Hampshire, “a decision that underscores that his path to the nomination is wholly dependent on trying to score an upset in the nation’s first primary,” the New York Times reports.

“The Huntsman campaign has been focusing intensively on New Hampshire for weeks, all but abandoning the three-state strategy that also once included South Carolina and Florida. But the decision to close the Orlando office and relocate the staff to Manchester signals a new sense of urgency and is part of what one adviser characterized as a ‘course correction.'”

Mitt Romney “is on pace to raise between $11 million and $13 million for the latest fund-raising quarter, a haul that would be much lower than the $18.2 million haul he brought in during the previous three months,” the Boston Globe reports.

“Romney’s strong performance in a trio of recent debates had helped his fund-raising by motivating his existing supporters, but it was not enough to move some of the fence-sitters over to his camp, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the campaign has not publicly released its numbers yet.”

Mitt Romney is scheduled to sit down for an interview with Mike Huckabee, to be shown this weekend on Fox News, The Caucus reports.

The two men have had a tense relationship since they both ran for president in 2008, but Huckabee’s statements in recent weeks suggests he dislikes Rick Perry more. Could an important endorsement be in the works?

Florida could be the new
presidential kingmaker, according to the latest National Journal
Political Insiders Poll.

Strategists and advisers from both parties
said Florida will be more important than Iowa, New Hampshire,
or South Carolina in determining the 2012 Republican nominee for
president.

Several sources tell Politico that Michele Bachmann’s campaign has “serious money issues on the horizon.”

New York Post: “Insiders are whispering that the Tea Party darling’s financials are grim and she may be out of the race before she makes it to the Iowa caucus in February, even though she has a strong base in the state. Sources tell us say Bachmann’s skeletal staff are holding their collective breath until the deadline to disclose her fundraising report on Oct. 15.
Meanwhile, we hear a computer vendor has called her campaign headquarters threatening to shut down the power due to an outstanding bill. Sources say she had about $400,000 at the beginning of September, but also stacks of bills.”

Said one source: “She does not like to ask for money. She should have been focusing on big donors about three months ago. She’s only cultivated low dollar donors with direct mailings and that’s hurt her.”