A revised version of President Obama’s economic stimulus package has not obtained the 60 votes necessary to advance in the U.S. Senate. Though there’s no final vote number at this time, as of this writing, the tally stood at 50 to 48. The Senate is expected to remain open for Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D- N.H., to return from Boston to give Democrats the 51 votes they are seeking to claim that Republicans are standing in the way of a jobs bill a majority of the Senate supports.
But this case is a shaky one. Two Democrats up for reelection in 2012, Sens. Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Jon Tester of Montana, sided with Republicans in voting against the bill. And even though Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., voted to move ahead, he said he’d oppose final passage without changes. That was likely the case with other Democrats, including Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, who told the Politico of the bill, “I do not believe it’s smart policy and it does not go where the real economic division lies in our country.”
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So really, Democrats are trying to have it both ways. Some of them will argue that this wasn’t a vote in favor of the underlying bill, then Obama and the Democratic leadership will turn around and point to the 51 votes for cloture, and claim majority support.
Sen Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has not yet voted.
