Liberal group drops off petition warning Obama on cuts

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a liberal group that has long been critical of President Obama's policy moves, delivered a petition to his campaign with 200,000 signatures warning Obama against any cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security as part of a broader agreement on raising the debt ceiling.

The petition said that if he allows any cuts to happen, the signatories will refuse to campaign for or donate to Obama in his upcoming reelection campaign. The president rode a wave of grassroots liberal support from groups including MoveOn.Org to beat then-Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the primary and win the general election.

Adam Green, the head of PCCC, is MoveOn.Org's former communications director. His group has criticized many Democrats they believe have not upheld liberal principles.

"The Democratic Party should support the overwhelming will of Americans who say clearly that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid cuts must be completely off the table," said PCCC co-founder Stephanie Taylor. "The middle class has sacrificed enough, and it's time to pass popular taxes on the rich and big corporations."

Much of the group's focus has been criticizing Obama on everything from the lack of a public option in his healthcare reform law to his compromise on extending the Bush tax cuts for one year.

Obama's polling numbers among liberals are still high, although down from the atmospheric levels of the 2008 campaign. But an angry base could hurt the president's reelection chances.