Liberals furious at Obama for dealing on tax cuts

Following the vote, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement that while the president "applauds" the House for passing the bill, the president has instructed Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to find a deal.

"The talks are ongoing and productive, but any reports that we are near a deal in the tax cuts negotiations are inaccurate and premature," Gibbs said.

But liberals were livid that Obama was trying to make a deal despite the House's move toward the position Obama advocated on the campaign trail.

Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), blasted the statement from Gibbs, calling the deal-making a "direct betrayal of a core Obama campaign promise."

Green's group began running an ad in Iowa this week pleading with Obama not to "cave" on the Bush tax cuts.

After Gibbs's statement, Green said his group would increase the size of the ad buy to tell "Obama to keep his promise and fight the Republicans on this issue."

"At a moment when they could have celebrated victory, this White House incredibly chose to wave the white flag — signaling to Republicans that they will take any deal, no matter how bad, including borrowing billions to extend tax cuts for the richest Americans," Green said. "This is a direct betrayal of a core Obama campaign promise, and the essence of political malpractice and negotiating incompetence."

Green was particularly incensed that Gibbs said Obama was willing to deal "because Republicans have made it clear that they won’t pass a middle class extension without also extending tax cuts for the wealthy."

Green and other Democrats have repeatedly urged Obama to fight Republicans, accusing him of caving instead of compromising

This story was updated at 7:35 p.m.