WASHINGTON -- Progressive angst over the Obama administration has not necessarily abated since the signing of the debt ceiling deal in early August. But the president's pledge to re-focus the political conversation on job creation -- and the widely-expected opposition to his proposals from congressional Republicans -- has given those same progressives alternate targets on which to focus their frustrations.
And in another sign that liberal-minded organizations still place GOP obstruction at the top of their list of chief obstacles, one such group is going up with a new ad campaign accusing the GOP of endangering the American Dream.
The ad, sponsored by Democracy for America, will air nationally at first -- with a prime time spot during NBC's "Meet the Press" as well as "Inside Washington" -- before it is tailored for local versions that target individual lawmakers. The first two targets, one DFA official tells The Huffington Post, will be Reps. Allen West and David Rivera, both Republican freshmen from Florida. Should fundraising permit, the follow-up media buys will be in New Hampshire, Ohio and Illinois.
"We are holding Republicans accountable for killing the American Dream by pushing a radical agenda to gut vital programs that middle class families depend on -- and we will be there every step of the way to 2012," said Levana Layendecker, communications director for Democracy for America. "Americans everywhere are fed up with the Republican attack on the middle class, and we are demanding that representatives in Washington focus on practical economic solutions, which create good jobs and keep the economy strong so that all Americans can achieve the American Dream of getting a good education, making a better life for their children and having a secure retirement."
The irony of the DFA ad is that the major bargain pushed by President Obama during the debt ceiling negotiations -- one that included changes to Social Security's payment structure and Medicare's eligibility requirements -- would have softened much of the script's bite. That deal never passed, mainly due to disagreements on the revenue component. And as a side-effect of Republican leadership walking away, the White House was not only spared the angst of traditional allies, they were also able to retain those allies heading into September's high-stakes job policy debate.