It’s been 39 weeks since Ellen Tauscher Weekly posted anything. Dump Ellen Tauscher, another progressive blog that once plotted the California Democrat’s political demise, is itself no more.

The effort by netroots activists to turn Rep. Tauscher into the Joe Lieberman of 2008 appears to have fizzled not long after it began. Tauscher, a former Wall Street executive and moderate Democrat, now looks unlikely to be challenged after what many perceive as a move to the left on the Iraq war over the past year.

“I don’t think they knew what I did. I don’t think they knew my influence. I don’t think they understood what I had been doing and saying for a very long time,” said Tauscher, who only nine months ago was the subject of a 2,700-word, front-page story in The Washington Post that highlighted attacks on her from the left.

In a recent interview, Tauscher discussed her response to the possibility of the primary challenge, as well as her roles as a vocal critic of the war, chairwoman of the pro-business New Democrat Coalition and one of the few women to run an Armed Services subcommittee.

Where Tauscher sees a simple misunderstanding in relation to her politics, her critics see a calculated shift to the left, on the war especially, and a chastened congresswoman more interested in listening to their concerns.

“She has moved visibly to the left,” said Brian Leubitz, an editor at Calitics, a progressive blog that covers California politics and has been critical of Tauscher.

“I think she has made a conscious effort not to incite the progressive base.”

Once wary of a left cliff, Tauscher now seems more comfortable with the more liberal elements of the party, even as she works to turn the pro-business New Democrat Coalition into a more prominent political force in part by increasing its political action committee through corporate donations.

“It’s great to work with people that keep you on your toes, that are involved, that are very interested in public policy, that like politics, that keep you engaged and pay attention to what you are doing,” she said in the interview.

What her detractors noticed was Tauscher’s signature on a letter from the Out of Iraq Caucus that called for the withdrawal of troops. She has also dropped out of the Blue Dog Coalition, another pro-business group.

Friends noticed a shift, too. Tauscher has become a “strong voice for bringing our troops home,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), one of the founders of the Out of Iraq Caucus. “That will make a difference on the floor … if we get to a final vote.

“She is a moderate thinker and she is evolving on that issue,” said Woolsey, who earlier this year endorsed the concept of challenging Democratic incumbents in primaries if they do not do enough to end the Iraq war.

Tauscher this year voted against the Iraq supplemental and said that she intends to vote against any other supplemental unless there are “very prescriptive, very clear dates for bringing our troops home.”

She also took the lead on a bill that establishes minimum rest and recuperation periods between deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The bill requires the Pentagon to give active-duty soldiers at least as much time at home as in either country overseas, and reserve components at least three times more than their previous deployments. The bill expresses a sense of Congress that active units should receive twice as much time at home as they spent deployed, while reserve components should not be mobilized for more than a year and should have five years between deployments.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposed a similar plan at the start of the year. But he opposed Tauscher’s bill — and a similar provision introduced by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) — on grounds that it would hamper the Pentagon’s force management and indirectly open a way to draw down forces in Iraq.

Nevertheless, Tauscher’s bill passed the House at the beginning of August by a vote of 229-194.

After that victory, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) tapped Tauscher to give the Democratic response to the president’s radio address on Aug. 11.

“As the chairman of an Armed Services subcommittee, I know how this war has threatened our national security and damaged military readiness,” Tauscher said in the address.

“As a Californian, I’m well aware that spending $330 million in Iraq is draining the Homeland Security resources of my state and others.”

In the interview, Tauscher noted her position as chairwoman of the Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee. In that role she is one of a relatively small circle of advisers that she says Democratic leaders come to for advice on policy positions.

The radio address also hints at another shift, this time in the relationship between Pelosi and Tauscher. Lobbyists who know them both say the relationship has at times been tense since Tauscher backed Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) for the Democratic whip position in 2000.

Now Tauscher rarely misses an opportunity to praise Pelosi: The Speaker, she says, has been “indefatigable” in reaching out to members, is “very pragmatic” in her decision-making, and is “always very gracious and very warm.”

“I have a tremendous amount of personal affection and respect for her, and I am honored when she asks me to do things. I do not think that I ever had a problem in my relationship with the Speaker. I think people want there to be.”

Tauscher has voted with her caucus 99 percent of the time, according to a Washington Post vote database. That is more than last Congress, but not by much. She voted with her party 95 percent of the time in the 109th Congress, according to the database.

Still, liberals remain wary of Tauscher. Last week she and other New Democrats voted in favor of a free trade deal with Peru that a majority of the caucus opposed.

She emphasizes the need to break down trade barriers but also spend more on worker re-education programs to help displaced workers recover.

“I understand that globalization has earned an almost four-letter-word status because very little has been done to deal with the wrenching adjustments in the economy and the job market here in the United States,” she said.

“There is a lot that’s going on in the American economy, in the job market, that is causing tremendous dislocation, and I believe there is a significant government role [in fixing] that,” she said.

 Q&A with Ellen Tauscher

Q: Do you worry that Democrats are becoming more protectionist?
A:  No. I don’t believe Democrats are protectionist. … I believe we need to lower trade barriers for American goods. We have [a significant percentage] of the world’s economy but we have a very high standard of living and we have a lot of trade that we need to do. We need to expand our markets….
But there is a lot that’s going on in the American economy, in the job market that is causing tremendous dislocation, a lot of pain, and I believe there is a significant government role in [fixing] that.

Q:  Has the liberal base of the party made governing more difficult?
A:  No. Look, what I’m happy about is that we have a very active electorate right now. We all need to be cognizant of the fact that the more people participating in the process, the better.

Q:  Just a few months after the election and The Washington Post comes out with an article on how you might face a primary challenge. How did you feel after the negative comments?
A: There’s a difference between having national leaders make comments about you and having people in your district make comments about you. I feel pretty confident about my district and the people that I work for. As a moderate, I’m used to having incoming [criticism] from both sides.
   
Q:  How have you avoided a primary challenge? It seemed like you took on a more active role in calling for the troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.
A:  I didn’t change anything that I had done. It’s just that when you are in the minority, unless your hair is on fire, it’s difficult for people to know what you are doing. …
I don’t think they knew that I was going to become one of the few women in history to be subcommittee chairman on Armed Services. I don’t think they understand my relationship with leadership. And I think after all that became apparent … all of that went away.

Q:  Does leadership seek your advice as a member of the Armed Services Committee on how to proceed with Iraq?
A:  I’m very satisfied with the outreach of leadership. I think the Speaker is indefatigable when it comes to reaching out to members. I’m honored and gratified that my counsel is sought, but so are many people. … I think there are probably 10 to 15 members that are approached on an ongoing basis for advice and counsel, for ideas, for energy.
That’s why the caucus has been holding together. … What the Speaker is building is a sense of confidence, not only in her leadership, but in the fact that members are part of an organic organization that is successful, that has achieved a number of things.