By: Jeanne Cummings
Plenty of Democrats viewed the Massachusetts Senate upset as a message to move cautiously. But some are convinced Scott Brown’s victory sent just the opposite message, which means the sort of intraparty power struggle that got nasty during the health care debate isn’t likely to go away anytime soon.
This week, progressive groups that ran ads pushing Democratic moderates to embrace sweeping reform efforts are expected to launch a new round of ads that are likely to target the party’s already vulnerable incumbents.
They won’t disclose many details such as who the targets will be, or the size of the buys, but they do say they will release new polling that shows support for including a government-run insurance plan, the so-called public option, in health care reform — an idea left for dead in Congress some months ago.
“There is a real danger that some are taking away the wrong lesson from Massachusetts: to give up on health care reform and embrace a Republican-lite agenda,” said Justin Ruben, executive director of MoveOn.org.
“If anything, we are redoubling our efforts to make sure our members’ voices are heard and Democrats and Republicans stand up to the lobbyists on financial reform and other key priorities,” he said.
The groups are forging ahead despite pleas from the White House, congressional leaders and some of their targets to bring an end to the friendly fire that distracts lawmakers and creates a sense of being under siege from both the left and the right.
Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0210/33014.html
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