Liberal groups have been warned to end ads against Democratic U.S. congressional members during a strategy meeting with the White House, two attendees said.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel issued the caution during a weekly, closed-door session of an array of progressive organizations, the two participants told Politico. The warning came as President Barack Obama told Senate Democrats he didn't like seeing liberal groups spending money to target moderate congressional Democrats in Republican-leaning districts.
Representatives from progressive groups countered that they have not heard from Obama officials directly on their ads. The representatives said they don't intend to pull ads aimed at Democrats, adding that they're also targeting Republicans, the Washington publication reported Friday.
We continue to run ads supporting healthcare reform in states and districts of both Republican and Democratic members of Congress, Health Care for America Now spokeswoman Jacki Schechner said.
Obama faces a balancing act, observers told Politico, because the president wants his supporters to lobby their representatives while home during the August recess but doesn't want to create a rift with centrist and moderate Democrats, whose votes he needs to pass legislation such as healthcare reform.
Copyright 2009 UPI. reprinted Via Newscom.