The Democrats’ Base Problem

One week after President Obama’s liberal base opposed his decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan, several liberal groups are once again lining up against the president and Senate Democrats on the health care reform compromise worked out by the so-called Gang of Ten. My colleague, ABC News’ David Chalian, has more: Harry Reid certainly tried to quell a potential liberal rebellion last night when he said any description of the health care compromise that assumes the death of the public option is an inaccurate one. But it doesn’t seem to be working.  The groups on the left that have been pushing hardest for the inclusion of a public option in health care reform legislation are reading the tea leaves and are none too pleased with what they see. Two email/petition campaigns were announced this afternoon opposed to any compromise that jettisons a public option.  Apparently, President Obama’s endorsement of the Senate compromise deal was also not enough to assuage these groups. MoveOn sent an email to their members saying that Senate Democrats “bargained away the heart of health care reform — allowing conservative senators like Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson to hold the process hostage and protect Big Insurance,” In addition, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee is targeting the four liberal Senators (Feingold, Burris, Sanders, Brown) who have made clear their vote for health care reform was dependent upon a public option being included in the final bill.  The group urges using the reconciliation process in which only 51 votes, not 60, would be needed to pass a bill, but that legislative tactic has already been taken off the table by Majority Leader Reid. “The Senate has the right to pass a bill with 51 votes — but to avoid offending Republicans, Democrats haven’t used it. That’s just weak,” write the campaign organizers. “Instead of daring Republicans and conservative Democrats to oppose a hugely-popular public option on the Senate floor, Sen. Harry Reid is now embracing the unpopular ‘trigger,’” they add. It will certainly be fascinating to watch how the White House and congressional Democrats will tend to their base and get them energized as the calendar turns to the midterm election year in January.