Washington ( CNN ) -- We now know President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner agree on at least one thing : In 2014 , keeping the political base happy matters more than advancing once-critical policy initiatives . For the GOP speaker , a personal commitment to big immigration changes , including a path to legal status for millions of undocumented workers , was sacrificed after it became clear there would be a conservative revolt . The argument from the right : turning out conservatives is the key to 2014 midterm success , and big immigration changes would anger the base . And now the President 's counter move : dropping from his new budget an idea he said was essential just a year ago -- a more modest calculation of inflation adjustments for Social Security . Then , it was a critical piece of entitlement reform and deficit reduction . Now , the calculation is simple : liberals hate the idea , and pushing it in 2014 would anger a base the Democrats need in November . When Boehner retreated on immigration , it was the White House and its allies who said he was being shortsighted and putting politics ahead of the national interest . Inside Politics : Boehner says 'never mind ' on immigration . Now , the flipside , from Boehner 's office : `` The President has no interest in doing anything , even modest , to address our looming debt crisis . ... With three years left in office , it seems the President is already throwing in the towel . '' A bit of hyperbole in that last part -- and the speaker has his own immigration flip-flop as a lesson in context : the President on Social Security , just like the speaker on immigration , is only throwing in the towel for this year , hoping it puts him in a stronger position politically next year . A lot can happen between February and November , but the best bet at this early juncture is that Republicans keep their House majority . The battle for control of the Senate is the big 2014 struggle , and the President has made clear protecting the fragile Democratic majority there is his top priority . Organizations focused on deficit reduction and structural budget reforms applauded Obama when he embraced the Social Security shift last year -- it is estimated to save $ 233 billion over a decade . Those same centrist organizations were quick to criticize his decision to abandon the Social Security change this year as a clear political shift left . `` The withdrawal by the President on this specific issue , and his general pivot away from focusing on the nation 's medium and long-term fiscal challenges , reflects a dangerous trend , '' the Campaign to Fix the Debt said in a statement after the White House outlined the budget proposal . CNNMoney : Obama drops controversial Social Security proposal . The so-called `` chained CPI '' shift for Social Security will likely return as a debating point next year anyway , but Obama could face even more choices anathema to liberals if the GOP manages to take control of the Senate . What 's the big deal about 'chained CPI ' ? Mindful of the stakes , it 's clear leadership in both parties is moving away from any environment of major policy compromise and toward full scale-election positioning . To that end , Obama on Tuesday attends a 2014 Organizing for Action summit . The organization is the grassroots offshoot of the 2008 and 2012 Obama presidential campaign . The summit goal : try to defy the midterm historical odds and protect Democratic seats .
Both Obama and Boehner dropped high-profile initiatives to keep base happy . For Boehner , his commitment to immigration reform was sacrificed . And for Obama, the push on climate change is being pushed off until after he leaves office. Both moves show a shift to election-year positioning .