The cost of angering the left

[Geee]

The Hill:

The cost of angering the left
By Sam Youngman - 12/15/10 06:00 AM ET
President Obama’s stark move to the middle will cost him. As in cash, and lots of it.

Democrats in Washington think President Obama is hurting his mighty fundraising prowess by repeatedly ticking off the people who helped Obama shatter fundraising records in 2007 and 2008.

The great strength behind Obama’s eye-popping quarterly reports were online contributions — about $500 million worth — and many Democrats think that area will take a hit as loyal Democrats express their disappointment with Obama by keeping their wallets shut.
To be sure, an extension of the Bush tax cuts, the failure to repeal “Don’t ask, don’t tell” and a fight with some unions and the left over a trade agreement with South Korea don’t make for sexy Democratic fundraising literature.

It will be hard for Obama to say, “Show me the money” when his allies feel like they’ve been shown the back of the president’s hand.

“When enthusiasm is deflated across the board, it has a direct effect on people’s willingness to donate to candidates and campaigns,” said Peter Daou, a former aide to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

The White House does not believe angering its liberal base will ultimately hurt the president at the polls in November 2012. In fact, the White House thinks a fight with the left will help Obama as part of a modified run-against-Washington strategy in two years.

But Democrats say they might find that their once-generous friends are in no mood to fund Obama the centrist.