Summer of 2009, Democratic lawmakers were swarmed by phone callers and town hall attendees by the then-nascent teabagger movement, furious at the creeping socialism of a government-run health insurance option. You see, Republicans were so worried that the government-run program would be so efficient, effective, and affordable that it would drive the private insurers out of business. And their teabagger allies rose up in unison to defeat this great threat while progressives, burned by serial Democratic capitulation, essentially sat disgusted on the sidelines.
Democratic leaders ignored signs of an intensity gap in 2010, and proceeded to further capitulation and inaction on issue after issue important to base Democrats. In December 2009, I literally had David Axelrod argue with me in the Green Room of ABC News' This Week that the base would come home because -- I shit you not -- Obama would score big points for negotiating the START treaty. That's when I knew we were doomed in 2010.
Of course, the intensity gap was real, and base Democrats sat on their asses and let Republicans score massive gains in the House and Senate, and punishing Nancy Pelosi -- the best Democrat in DC.
But now, progressives finally seem fired up. REALLY fired up. And it's not because of the latest GOP outrage, but because Obama may have finally capitulated once too many times. They're lighting up the phone lines.
Liberal activists angry about President Barack Obama’s concession on tax cuts for upper-income Americans crashed phone lines at the White House and are gearing up for another onslaught of calls to Senate Democratic leaders in an eleventh-hour push to kill the deal.
Opposition to the cave-in, while not unanimous, runs deep among Obama's strongest supporters -- those who gave time or money to his campaign in 2008:
The poll shows clearly that these contributors are deeply opposed (74%) to a deal with Republicans to extend the Bush-era tax breaks for those making over $250,000 a year. The depth of opposition to a deal is severe with former Obama contributors saying that they are less likely (57%) to support Democrats who support this deal in 2012.
A majority of the former Obama contributors surveyed also say that the President's deal also makes them less likely (51%) to contribute to his reelection campaign in 2012.
These numbers track closely our own unscientific web poll -- in which 75 percent of Daily Kos readers opposed the deal, and 24 approved. This shouldn't be worrisome to the White House because these people won't vote for him in 2012. They probably will. But will they give money and knock on doors and make phone calls and drag their social circle to the polls? Nope. They didn't in 2010. And at this rate, they sure as hell won't in 2012.
Did I mention that Pelosi is the best Democrat in DC?
House Democrats signaled Monday they will fight the tax-cut deal President Obama announced a day earlier with Republicans.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday there was "no consensus or agreement reached by House leaders" on the deal Obama negotiated with the GOP, while Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) criticized GOP provisions in the agreement.
In a post on Twitter, Pelosi said the GOP provisions in the tax proposal would add to the deficit and help the rich without creating jobs. The GOP provisions "help only wealthiest 3%, don't create jobs & add tens of billions to deficit," the Pelosi tweet said.
Hoyer (D-Md.) at his weekly press conference reiterated Democratic opposition to extending tax cuts for the wealthy and said House leaders would be discussing the deal with the Democratic Caucus "over the next few days."
When you have the likes of corporatists like Hoyer refuse to toe the White House line, perhaps the President may have surrendered too much?
We are launching our own petition: No Deal -- Keep Fighting!
There are Democrats in DC who want to fight. Let's have their back. Because we know for damn sure that this White House sure doesn't. In fact, the only time Obama shows any fight is when he's whipping Democrats to go along with his latest cave-in. After you sign the petition, call your Senator and congresscritter's offices and give them a piece of your mind on the issue.
As for Obama, he's clearly feeling the heat. He's called a press conference for 11:20 PT/2:20 ET. We'll be liveblogging it.
