Liberal groups see welcome mat in Washington

For progressives, that means a nation in which federal laws ban job discrimination against gays; hate-crime laws are expanded; public land is shielded from logging and oil drilling; and unions have an easier time organizing workers.

Instead of waging the defensive battles they have fought for years, liberal groups -- labor unions, environmentalists and others -- are eagerly preparing for new confrontations with business and conservative interests. This time, they feel secure in having allies within Washington's power centers.

"Everybody is seeing the energy that has been unleashed in this election cycle," said Eli Pariser, executive director of the antiwar MoveOn.org.

The change in political climate has generated a sense of optimism and a determination to seize the moment. Though progressives express a willingness to allow the incoming administration space to pursue its agenda on its own terms, they are determined not to be thwarted.

It has been 14 years since Democrats controlled both elected branches of government. Some count more years in the wilderness, starting with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. President Clinton charted a largely centrist course, and he had only two years with a Democratic congressional majority.

Obama, who will have the largest Democratic congressional majority since the 1970s, won election on a platform that embraced causes dear to the party's liberal wing: withdrawal of troops from Iraq, a national healthcare plan and a big investment in clean energy.

Goodwill among the left is such that few have publicly complained when Obama sometimes has distanced himself from his commitments. The response from labor was muted when reports surfaced recently that he would postpone acting on a campaign promise to renegotiate NAFTA by ordering a study of the trade agreement. And there was no outcry when he signaled in September that he would delay delivering on a promise to end the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays serving in the military.

"People are willing to wait a little while," said Democratic strategist Steve Elmendorf. But, he added, pent-up demand still is considerable: "Every interest group, every group in the party has a list."