They want to take Obama where?!

It’s no surprise Democrats are certain of victory in Tuesday’s presidential election. And it follows that they’re thinking ahead on what direction the new administration will take.

But this WSJ headline is a bit startling, nonetheless:

Liberals, Sensing Victory, Try to Pull Obama to Left 

A phalanx of liberal think tanks and interest groups — anticipating a Democratic victory on Tuesday — are mobilizing to push Sen. Barack Obama to the left of his campaign positions.

Push Sen. Obama to the left? He was rated the most liberal senator in the Senate by the National Journal. There was nobody left of him. Are these unchartered waters?

Wait….it says “to the left of his campaign positions”. So this phalanx of liberal think tanks and interest groups see Obama’s campaign promises and statements as drifting more to the center. Maybe for political expediency.

Here’s a rundown on some of their plans:

The Campaign for America’s Future, a progressive Washington group founded by a former adviser to the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential bids, is organizing a conference for this month on creating a government-funded investment fund for public works projects. The Center for American Progress recently released a two-year, $100 billion plan for producing renewable energy…

Last month in Washington, an organization recently formed by Martin Luther King III, son of the slain civil-rights leader, attracted more than 100 leading activists on poverty and other social issues to a daylong conference. Mr. King demanded that the next president appoint a cabinet member dedicated to eradicating poverty. In a keynote address, Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs called for substantially higher tax collections to fund government investments in energy production, public works and eradicating poverty and other ills…

The Center for American Progress likewise backs higher taxes based on a “pro-growth” structure steering funds to schools, health care, job training and technology innovations.

Higher taxes? That’s not part of the change Obama has promised, (and the promise was change you can count on).

But this version of change is already in the works.

Some groups already have emerged as Obama advisers, such as the Potomac Coalition, a collection of African-American former Clinton appointees and Senate aides, that advises the campaign on the economy. The members, many of whom now work on Wall Street, urged Sen. Obama to back the addition of homeowner assistance and a contracting provision for minorities and women in the $700 billion rescue of the financial sector.

And how does this tax-and-spend planning square with his campaign?

Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro said Sen. Obama will stick to the tax-cut proposals he has outlined in the campaign.

For now.

But after the election, if this goes the way these groups plan, will the media stick with their ‘no questions asked’ policy?