Disorganizing For America: Left Hates Obama Pay Freeze

Organizing for America, the QUANGO behind the Obama election campaign of 2008, wants its followers to thump the tub for President Obama's proposed federal pay freeze.

From a message the organization sent out to members today:

The economy is growing again, yet all across America families and businesses have been tightening their belts. The President knows their government must do the same.

Yesterday, he announced a proposal to freeze pay for non-military federal employees for two years — a plan that will lead to $60 billion in savings over 10 years. It's one of many tough choices the President has made to cut costs in the upcoming budget to begin to put our nation's fiscal house in order. And it follows directly from this administration's dedication to stretching federal dollars and reining in the long-term deficit.

Now, if you listen to some talk radio hosts or a few of the talking heads on cable news, you'll hear a very different assessment of our fiscal policies.

Obama is actually asking for fans to take on right-wing commentators, but his followers on the left are appalled at the idea of organizing against overpaid, un-fire-able employees. "Here's what OFA is reduced to," FireDogLake's David Dayen says. "We've officially gone around the bend." He concludes, "I can't wait to see the open rate on this one. And the unsubscribe rate."

Nobel laureate Paul Krugman uses his New York Times blog to compare Obama to a fictional totalitarian.

The federal pay freeze doesn't go nearly far enough, but it's a step in the right direction by a president who has, well, not always been the most scrupulous spender. The disparagement of Obama for making the suggestion doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the left's ability to rejoin the reality-based community. Krugman is so lost in his own sick fantasy world that he really seems to believe the U.S. government does not need to rein in spending. But are other liberals that extreme? Some things are true even though Obama and the Republicans believe them.