Obama Can't Even Support For His Jobs Bill From Democrats....That's The Truth!!!

Democrats Scramble for Votes on Jobs Bill, May Split Legislation Into Pieces

Published October 11, 2011 | FoxNews.com

WASHINGTON – A senior White House adviser held out hope Tuesday that President Obama's jobs bill would attract the "vast majority" of Democrats, though some lawmakers may already be working up a Plan B in case the package fails to attract needed bipartisan support.

Adviser David Plouffe said in interviews Tuesday morning that the $447 billion package "should" make it out of the Senate, calling it a "tragedy" if the Senate turns the bill away. The bill is headed for the floor for a vote Tuesday. On NBC's "Today," Plouffe said "there wouldn't be a political issue" if Republicans would just support the proposal.

But even some Democrats have balked at Obama's original plan, with the Hill reporting that Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska are among those leaning toward opposing the legislation Tuesday.

With passage facing long odds, party leaders may break the legislation into parts, hoping for greater success in smaller increments.

The details of such a plan are still being worked out, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing one aide as saying Democratic leaders may hold multiple votes on the plan in the coming weeks to underscore Republican opposition.

The idea of tackling the jobs bill in pieces gained the support of Obama last week, when he called in a news conference for Congress to show some progress in acting on his proposals.

The full $447 billion plan to promote job growth is due for a procedural vote Tuesday in the Senate in a slightly different form from what Obama proposed a month ago. In this version, most of the cost would be offset by a surtax on millionaires.

Republicans appear united in opposition and Democrats, with 53 votes in the Senate, face a difficult task in coming up with the 60 votes needed in the 100-member chamber to keep the bill alive.

Meanwhile, free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama are much more likley to pass Congress. The agreements have been pending since the presidency of George W. Bush. Supporters of the treaties -- the first completed in the Obama administration -- say the pacts could boost exports by $13 billion a year and foster tens of thousands of American jobs.

The House takes up the three agreements on Tuesday, along with legislation pushed by Obama and Democrats to help workers displaced by foreign trade. Both chambers could sign off on the measures by Wednesday night.

The Senate on Tuesday is also expected to pass legislation to impose tariffs on Chinese exports if the Beijing government continues to keep its currency undervalued. Supporters say the measure will make American producers more competitive and bring jobs back home.

The bill enjoys broad bipartisan support from senators who for years have been hearing complaints from constituents blaming unfair competition from China for shuttering U.S. factories and putting Americans out of work.

But the bill faces an uncertain future.

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, opposes it and may never bring it to the House floor. Obama and the White House, while avoiding a position on the bill, have warned against unilateral action that might violate international trading rules. American companies doing business in China warn that it could spark a trade war.

But with the trade deficit with China hitting $273 billion last year and heading toward $300 billion this year, senators said it was time to get tough.

"If China continues its predatory practices, the future for our children and grandchildren in this country will not be bright," said Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat who has tried numerous times in past years to slap sanctions on the Chinese.

Economists say China's currency, the yuan, is undervalued by about 25 to 30 percent, and possibly by as much as 40 percent against the dollar. That means that Chinese goods sold in the United States have a 25 to 30 percent price advantage, and U.S. goods exported to China face a disadvantage of that same amount.

The Fair Currency Coalition, a group pushing for changes in China's exchange rate, gives the example of a steel mill that might cost 4 billion yuan to build in China. It says that at an equitable currency rate that would mean a price tag of about $900 million, but at current rates it would cost only $600 million, creating a bigger incentive to abandon factories at home and relocate.

The legislation does not specifically mention China but would make it easier for the Treasury Department to declare a currency misalignment. It would require action if the offending country does not address the problem, or allow individual industries to petition the Commerce Department for redress if a competitor nation is using its currency as an export subsidy.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.