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From All Sides, Online Pushes to Scrap the Deal

BY Nick Judd | Monday, August 1 2011

As members of Congress gather in Washington ahead of a vote on the controversial debt deal, all sides of this argument are urging action online — and for most of them, it's a call to scuttle the deal.

Conservatives

Headlines on Heritage Action for America's website, a political action site associated with the Heritage Foundation, include petitions opposing any deal that contains tax increases and another reiterating support for House Speaker John Boehner's initial "Cut, Cap and Balance" deal, which has already been left aside as lacking enough support to pass the Senate. A FreedomWorks call to action asking people to call their representatives in opposition to anything except the "Cut, Cap and Balance" deal has a log with comments from people who say they called as recently as a few hours ago. The Tea Party Patriots have a site, NoDebtIncrease.com, opposing any increase to the debt ceiling. (That one reports 60,000 signatures.)

Progressives

Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green sent along a statement to reporters today calling the current debt proposal "an attack on middle-class families" and promising that PCCC members will put in "thousands" of calls to Congress today with the help of a website that provides a script and a number. Calling a proposed bicameral, bipartisan debt committee a "Super Congress," FiredogLake is asking readers to call their members of Congress in opposition. The Service Employees International Union's 1-877 number connecting people to their U.S. Senator is open, with a nudge towards asking electeds to oppose cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. And while not necessarily possessed of a political bent, we found this site, built by the web firm Notion Collective, which applies a circa-2011-web-design approach to explaining the debt ceiling and suggesting that, maybe, folks should be hoping the debt ceiling is raised and the country continues to be able to borrow money to meet obligations.

Obama for America, of course, is fighting back: President Barack Obama's re-election effort sent out a message to supporters today with a link to a video of the president explaining his position on the debt deal.

"The President and congressional leaders reached an agreement last night to meet our financial obligations and reduce our deficit," goes the text of the email, signed by OFA Campaign Manager Jim Messina. "Many people will have lots to say about this deal -- but the President wanted to talk to you directly."

(With Becky Kazansky)

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