Of course, this will be blamed on the Republicans.  But let’s review the numbers.
Dems in Senate:  57
Indies with dems: 2
Pubs in Senate: 41
Final vote:  45-53
In order to get to 45 voting for it, the dems have to lose a dozen of their kin.  Tain’t no way this is a pub thing.  The dems lost it all by their lonesome.
Here’s the bill description in the article:   A catchall measure combining jobless aid for the long-term unemployed, aid to cash-strapped state governments and the renewal of dozens of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals failed to muster even a majority in a test vote, much less the 60 votes that would be required to defeat a GOP filibuster.
That bit about “cash-strapped states” is the $24 billion to pay over-priced teacher unions.
Another $20 billion, not mentioned above but later in the article, was for the “doc fix” that the dems took the benefit of the reduction in their health-care reform bonanza only now to try to please the interest group by adding those dollars to the deficit.
And therein lies the issue.  None of this bill was paid for.  It all went to the deficit.
Enough is enough, boys and girls.  Start paying your own way in this world.
Glad we had this conversation.