The White House is moving towards strikingAi??a deal that would only end the Bush tax cuts on incomes above $400,000 while enacting a watered-down estate tax. These measures offer a major tax cut to the rich over what is currently set to take place in 2013.

Major progressive groups denounced this proposal in statements and emails today.

Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC):

Ai??On behalf of nearly a million progressives nationwide, we wanted to emphasize that this is a moment to stand on principle.

There has always been room for negotiation, but throughout this debate progressives have had 2 bright-line positions: Tax rates on those making $250,000 must go up to at least the Clinton rates and there must be no cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits.

The president ran on and won on $250,000 twice. Voters across the country overwhelmingly agree with the $250,000 threshold (seeAi??http://2014polling.com). And in real human costs, the billions lost by raising the threshold to $400,000 will come out of the pockets of grandparents and working families across the nation. Meanwhile, individuals making over $30,000 per month would get a tax break.

Democrats hold the cards, and our leverage increases in less than 10 hours if we hold strong.

The public is paying attention, and we urge all Democrats to stand on principle at this moment.Ai??The current deal violates progressive principles.Ai??It should be opposed. — Adam Green and Stephanie Taylor, PCCC co-founders

MoveOn (excerpt from e-mail to members):

MoveOn members have consistently stood behind President Obama’s campaign pledge to return the tax rates for the wealthiest Americansai??i??those making more than $250,000 a yearai??i??to what they were under President Clinton. A last-minute deal like the one reported in the press could make the Bush Tax Cuts permanent for those making $450,000 a year.

When Republicans tried to cut Social Security, MoveOn members responded with such immediate and loud outrage that those cuts are now off the table. We need to step up againai??i??and fast, since a deal is being worked out this very moment, and some members of Congress are considering how they’ll act.

Can you callAi??Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken right now? Tell them: “DoAi??not extend tax breaks for people making more than $250,000 a year.” […]

MoveOn members have had two clear, simple lines throughout the fiscal negotiations: Tax rates on those making more than $250,000 a year must return to Clinton-era levels. No benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. We can’t let up now, and neither should Democrats in Congress.

CREDO Action (excerpt from e-mail to members):

As painful as the status quo might be, it’s substantially better than any deal that has been floated thus far.

Clearly, President Obama and the Democrats could cut a better deal with Republicans in the next Congress with more Democrats in the House and the Senate, and the Bush tax cuts already expired.

We need to speak out and make sure Democrats in the Senate know that no deal is better than a bad deal that unneccessarily makes permanent Bush’s tax cuts for the richest Americans.

Pick up the phone and ask Sens. Feinstein and Boxer: Reject this new deficit reduction deal that extends the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

— Becky Bond, CREDO Action

UPDATE: Here’s a statement from The Other 98%:

From the beginning, we’ve said the same thing: 1. There’s no reason to sell out the New Deal for a Bad Deal. 2. There’s no reason to preserve Bush Tax Cuts that the rich never should have received in the first place. That President Obama and Congress would even consider one of these, much less full-throatedly propose both, speaks to just how incredibly removed our elected officials are from the reality of daily economic life in America.
A vote to cut any of the New Deal is grounds for a primary challenge. A vote to keep the most ill-advised tax cuts of the last century, when we will literally be in a better position to handle our long-term finances by Breakfast, all so we can do this again in a few months, is hardly better. No deal. ”

Meanwhile, the AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka tweeted, “Its not a good #fiscalcliff deal if it gives more tax cuts to 2 percent and sets the stage for more hostage taking.”