Pass This Jobs Bill Now: Democrats Desperately Scrambling For... Democratic Support for "Jobs" Bill

Obama continues attempting to whip the opposite party. And yet it's his own party that needs whipping.

Democratic leaders in the Senate are scrambling to avoid defections on President Obama’s jobs package, which appears headed for defeat on Tuesday.

A lack of Democratic unity on the president’s bill would be embarrassing for the White House, which has been scolding House Republicans for refusing to vote on the measure.

Obama has been touring the country, aiming to put pressure on the GOP to act. But Senate Democrats have indicated they are feeling some heat. Last week, Democratic leaders revised Obama’s bill, scrapping his proposed offsets. Instead of raising taxes on families making more than $250,000 annually, Senate Democrats lifted that figure to $1 million.

Despite the changes, the legislation still does not enjoy the support of all 53 senators who caucus with the Democrats. A handful of Democrats are undecided or leaning no on the bill.

The three Democrats most likely to cast Nay votes are Tester, Manchin, and Nelson, all of whom are up for re-election in states that typically vote for Republicans.

Even if these guys do vote for the "jobs" bill, isn't their reluctance to do so a sign that this isn't a good bill? Will the media conveniently forget that these three, plus Mary Landrieu and Claire McCaskill, were once pretty strongly opposed to it, and only buckled out of a purely political need to "show unity"?

posted by Ace at 10:36 AM

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