The Hill News

In the wake of a failed vote in the Senate on Saturday that would have extended the Bush-era tax cuts for just middle-income families, a liberal group is targeting two centrist Republicans with online ads hitting their 'no' votes.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is hitting Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), with targeted online ads that double as a fundraising appeal for the liberal group. 

"Democrats wanted to stop borrowing billions to fund tax cuts for the wealthy," one ad reads. "Olympia Snowe voted no."  

Both Snowe and Brown are up for reelection in 2012 and are likely Tea Party targets, as well.     

The Saturday Senate vote fell short of the 60 votes it needed for passage. Members voted 53-36 for the amendment from Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would have extended the cuts for families with incomes of up to $250,000.

The group's co-founder Adam Green said the PCCC is spending! between $15,000 and $20,000 on the ad campaign to reach between one and a half and two million people. 

"The strategy for Democratic victory is clear: Schedule vote after vote on ending tax cuts for the rich, create pressure back home for Republicans, and make clear that continued obstruction won't result in a deal--it will result in continued accountability," Green said. 

The group, which has been increasingly critical of President Obama's posture in the tax cut debate, is also up with online ads targeting Speaker-designate John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.). 

The group recently launched a TV ad targeting the president's tax cut stance and after raising some $50,000 through the effort, expanded the TV buy into Iowa.