Now that President Obama’s jobs bill has died, Senate Democrats are moving to Plan B: disassembling the package and pushing for votes on pieces they hope Republicans will pay a political price for refusing to support.

Obama and Democratic leaders, who conferred last week, already discussed how to move its most popular elements. Scant on specifics, they said a one-year extension of a payroll tax-rate reduction for employees is high on the list. That cut runs through December under a deal enacted last year.

Democratic aides said leaders also plan votes on members’ proposals, such as one promoting tourism and a measure from Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to encourage corporations to repatriate earnings parked overseas. The resulting taxes would then fund infrastructure projects.

But those bills may go the way of Obama’s legislation—defeat by filibuster after votes designed to highlight what Democrats paint as GOP obstructionism.

Senate Republican leaders call the payroll tax reduction ineffective and say such measures should only be considered as part of a broader tax-code overhaul. Republicans will also oppose any new spending on infrastructure. In other words, the parts may be less than the sum of the parts.

Of course, none of this was exactly unforeseen. Though the fate of Obama’s package was foretold, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tried for weeks to unify Democrats. He hoped a Republican-only filibuster would convince the public that the GOP is the only thing standing between it and new jobs and stick Republicans with majority ownership of the stalled economy.

To that end, Reid replaced Obama’s proposed mechanism to pay for the bill with a 5.6 percent surtax on millionaires. Democrats then quickly attacked any opposition to that measure, which polls well.

“Folks should ask their senators, ‘Why would you consider voting against putting teachers and police officers back to work?’ ” Obama said in a speech Tuesday in Pittsburgh. “Ask them what’s wrong with having folks who have made millions or billions of dollars to pay a little more.”

Democrats escalated their rhetoric on Tuesday, saying Republicans only opposed the millionaire surtax to deny Obama a win that might reduce unemployment.

“The Republican approach to this is to do nothing, absolutely nothing,” said Senate Majority WhipDick Durbin, D-Ill. “Protect millionaires from tax increases and don’t give President Obama a victory.”

In a sign that Democrats are unlikely to let up on their accusation that Republicans are being obstructionist, a key Obama campaign official took after them. Earlier on Tuesday, Jim Messina, Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail that Republicans want to “to suffocate the economy for the sake” of a “political victory.”

But Democratic messaging became muddled as several Democratic senators read off a different page, suggesting that the message will be less that unified.

Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, both facing tough reelection fights next year, voted against taking up the package. Three other Democratic Caucus members—Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Jim Webb of Virginia, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia—said they would vote to cut off debate but go against final passage.

The surtax on millionaires “sounds good on T.V. but I do not think it’s sound policy,” Webb said.

Senate Democrats were not completely devoid of victory on Tuesday. They touted the easy passage, 63-35, of a bill to crack down on Chinese currency manipulation. That contrasted sharply with the jobs’ bill 50-49 vote denying Democrats the 60 needed to invoke cloture. On Wednesday the chamber is expected to pass free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that enjoy bipartisan support, providing a rare moment of comity in this climate.   

Now that President Obama’s jobs bill has died, Senate Democrats are moving to Plan B: disassembling the package and pushing for votes on pieces they hope Republicans will pay a political price for refusing to support.

Obama and Democratic leaders, who conferred last week, already discussed how to move its most popular elements. Scant on specifics, they said a one-year extension of a payroll tax-rate reduction for employees is high on the list. That cut runs through December under a deal enacted last year.

Democratic aides said leaders also plan votes on members’ proposals, such as one promoting tourism and a measure from Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to encourage corporations to repatriate earnings parked overseas. The resulting taxes would then fund infrastructure projects.

But those bills may go the way of Obama’s legislation—defeat by filibuster after votes designed to highlight what Democrats paint as GOP obstructionism.

Senate Republican leaders call the payroll tax reduction ineffective and say such measures should only be considered as part of a broader tax-code overhaul. Republicans will also oppose any new spending on infrastructure. In other words, the parts may be less than the sum of the parts.

Of course, none of this was exactly unforeseen. Though the fate of Obama’s package was foretold, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tried for weeks to unify Democrats. He hoped a Republican-only filibuster would convince the public that the GOP is the only thing standing between it and new jobs and stick Republicans with majority ownership of the stalled economy.

To that end, Reid replaced Obama’s proposed mechanism to pay for the bill with a 5.6 percent surtax on millionaires. Democrats then quickly attacked any opposition to that measure, which polls well.

“Folks should ask their senators, ‘Why would you consider voting against putting teachers and police officers back to work?’ ” Obama said in a speech Tuesday in Pittsburgh. “Ask them what’s wrong with having folks who have made millions or billions of dollars to pay a little more.”

Democrats escalated their rhetoric on Tuesday, saying Republicans only opposed the millionaire surtax to deny Obama a win that might reduce unemployment.

“The Republican approach to this is to do nothing, absolutely nothing,” said Senate Majority WhipDick Durbin, D-Ill. “Protect millionaires from tax increases and don’t give President Obama a victory.”

In a sign that Democrats are unlikely to let up on their accusation that Republicans are being obstructionist, a key Obama campaign official took after them. Earlier on Tuesday, Jim Messina, Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail that Republicans want to “to suffocate the economy for the sake” of a “political victory.”

But Democratic messaging became muddled as several Democratic senators read off a different page, suggesting that the message will be less that unified.

Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, both facing tough reelection fights next year, voted against taking up the package. Three other Democratic Caucus members—Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Jim Webb of Virginia, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia—said they would vote to cut off debate but go against final passage.

The surtax on millionaires “sounds good on T.V. but I do not think it’s sound policy,” Webb said.

Senate Democrats were not completely devoid of victory on Tuesday. They touted the easy passage, 63-35, of a bill to crack down on Chinese currency manipulation. That contrasted sharply with the jobs’ bill 50-49 vote denying Democrats the 60 needed to invoke cloture. On Wednesday the chamber is expected to pass free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that enjoy bipartisan support, providing a rare moment of comity in this climate.   

Now that President Obama’s jobs bill has died, Senate Democrats are moving to Plan B: disassembling the package and pushing for votes on pieces they hope Republicans will pay a political price for refusing to support.

Obama and Democratic leaders, who conferred last week, already discussed how to move its most popular elements. Scant on specifics, they said a one-year extension of a payroll tax-rate reduction for employees is high on the list. That cut runs through December under a deal enacted last year.

Democratic aides said leaders also plan votes on members’ proposals, such as one promoting tourism and a measure from Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to encourage corporations to repatriate earnings parked overseas. The resulting taxes would then fund infrastructure projects.

But those bills may go the way of Obama’s legislation—defeat by filibuster after votes designed to highlight what Democrats paint as GOP obstructionism.

Senate Republican leaders call the payroll tax reduction ineffective and say such measures should only be considered as part of a broader tax-code overhaul. Republicans will also oppose any new spending on infrastructure. In other words, the parts may be less than the sum of the parts.

Of course, none of this was exactly unforeseen. Though the fate of Obama’s package was foretold, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tried for weeks to unify Democrats. He hoped a Republican-only filibuster would convince the public that the GOP is the only thing standing between it and new jobs and stick Republicans with majority ownership of the stalled economy.

To that end, Reid replaced Obama’s proposed mechanism to pay for the bill with a 5.6 percent surtax on millionaires. Democrats then quickly attacked any opposition to that measure, which polls well.

“Folks should ask their senators, ‘Why would you consider voting against putting teachers and police officers back to work?’ ” Obama said in a speech Tuesday in Pittsburgh. “Ask them what’s wrong with having folks who have made millions or billions of dollars to pay a little more.”

Democrats escalated their rhetoric on Tuesday, saying Republicans only opposed the millionaire surtax to deny Obama a win that might reduce unemployment.

“The Republican approach to this is to do nothing, absolutely nothing,” said Senate Majority WhipDick Durbin, D-Ill. “Protect millionaires from tax increases and don’t give President Obama a victory.”

In a sign that Democrats are unlikely to let up on their accusation that Republicans are being obstructionist, a key Obama campaign official took after them. Earlier on Tuesday, Jim Messina, Obama’s 2012 campaign manager, wrote in an e-mail that Republicans want to “to suffocate the economy for the sake” of a “political victory.”

But Democratic messaging became muddled as several Democratic senators read off a different page, suggesting that the message will be less that unified.

Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, both facing tough reelection fights next year, voted against taking up the package. Three other Democratic Caucus members—Sens. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Jim Webb of Virginia, and Joe Manchin of West Virginia—said they would vote to cut off debate but go against final passage.

The surtax on millionaires “sounds good on T.V. but I do not think it’s sound policy,” Webb said.

Senate Democrats were not completely devoid of victory on Tuesday. They touted the easy passage, 63-35, of a bill to crack down on Chinese currency manipulation. That contrasted sharply with the jobs’ bill 50-49 vote denying Democrats the 60 needed to invoke cloture. On Wednesday the chamber is expected to pass free-trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that enjoy bipartisan support, providing a rare moment of comity in this climate.