Washington (CNN) Sensing his free trade agenda was hours from a stunning defeat, President Barack Obama went to Capitol Hill on Friday morning to make a personal plea for his own party's support. 
 
 Democrats ignored him. 
 
 And now, the prospects for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the biggest free trade deal in history, to be finalized and adopted are grim -- unless Democrats can be convinced to change their minds or Republicans can find another way to revive the bills and rescue Obama's biggest second-term legislative priority. 
 
 The House overwhelmingly rejected the first in a series of trade bills Friday, with Democrats voting against a program that aids displaced workers -- in large part because, under the chamber's procedures, its defeat meant the vote on the so-called "fast track" bill that followed was only symbolic, so the measure couldn't be sent to Obama's desk. 
 
 In a statement released Friday afternoon, Obama praised the approval of the fast-track bill and continued to press for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 
 
 "These kinds of agreements make sure that the global economy's rules aren't written by countries like China; they're written by the United States of America," Obama said. "And to stand in their way is to do nothing but preserve the long-term status quo for American workers, and make it even harder for them to succeed." 
 
 But Friday's votes provided the clearest evidence yet that, with 19 months left in his presidency, Obama's pulpit is less bully than it's ever been before. 
 
 It also showcased the strength of populist elements of both parties, who beat back an intense lobbying push from traditional Washington forces like the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. 
 
 Friday's vote doesn't mean the package of trade bills are dead. House Republican leaders have called for re-votes by Tuesday, and noted that they could even delay those votes further if necessary, buying Obama a little more time to lobby his own party and GOP leaders time to twist arms. 
 
 In fact, the most controversial element of the package -- trade promotion authority, which allows Obama to submit deals like the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership to Congress for a vote without amendments, which trade negotiators say is crucial to finalizing the deal -- actually narrowly passed. 
 
 That vote, though, was meaningless because of House procedural rules that said a separate bill that included Trade Adjustment Assistance -- a program that helps workers who lose their jobs due to trade shifts, and that's typically favored by Democrats -- also had to pass, but it was defeated, 302-126. 
 
 But the prospect of a re-vote gave the White House reason for optimism on Friday. 
 
 White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest termed the trade failure a "procedural snafu," adding that it still reflected a success that lawmakers were able to pass promotion authority. 
 
 Earnest called Obama's visit with House Democrats on Friday "productive" and said the President would continue working with lawmakers to advance his trade agenda. 
 
 The Pelosi factor 
 
 It was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who shepherded some of Obama's most controversial first-term bills like health care reform into law, who hurt the President the most on Friday. 
 
 After staying on the sidelines for most of the trade fight, Pelosi took to the House floor and announced her opposition to the bill -- giving cover to other Democrats who were considering breaking with Obama. 
 
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 She acknowledged the strangeness of Democrats rejecting a Trade Adjustment Assistance measure they've favored for decades, but said the purpose was to win a broader fight. 
 
 "Our people would rather have a job than trade assistance," Pelosi said. "Its defeat, sad to say, is the only way that we will be able to slow down the fast track." 
 
 With Pelosi's opposition and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential race, also keeping mum on trade promotion authority, Obama had scant high-level support within his own ranks. 
 
 Obama unable to sway Democrats 
 
 The President attended a 9:30 a.m. gathering of House Democrats, making his case after several high-level officials -- including Labor Secretary Tom Perez and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough -- made their cases in the days leading up to the vote. 
 
 As he left the meeting, Obama said, "I don't think you ever nail anything down around here. It's always moving." 
 
 Democrats who attended said they weren't swayed and that the President's outreach came too late. 
 
 "The President tried to both guilt people and impugn their integrity. I was insulted," Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Oregon, told reporters after the meeting. 
 
 One House Democrat told CNN on the condition of anonymity that in Friday's meeting, Obama "was fine until he turned it at the end and became indignant and alienated some folks. Bottom line, he may have swayed some Ds to vote yes, but Pelosi sealed the deal to vote no." 
 
 Another House Democrat said Obama's last-minute lobbying effort "absolutely" hurt the bill's chances. 
 
 "Democrats believe they often are taken granted and not appreciated," this House Democrat said. "There was a very strong concern about the lost jobs and growing income inequality. Unions are the last line of defense. A number of reporters have asked whether Democrats felt threatened by the unions. Most told me that they wanted to do nothing to further weaken unions." 
 
 Added this member of Congress, pointedly: "Ms. Clinton should take notice." 
 
 Republicans pushed hard for the trade package, but indicated it would largely be up to Obama to convince Democrats to change their mind on the Trade Adjustment Assistance portion of the set of bills. 
 
 House Speaker John Boehner called Friday's rejection of that bill "disappointing." 
 
 "Republicans did our part, and we remain committed to free trade because it is critical to creating jobs and growing our economy," he said. "I'm pleased that a bipartisan House majority supported trade promotion authority. This is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to take stock and move forward in a constructive fashion on behalf of the American people." 
 
 The next steps 
 
 Going into the weekend, it was unclear what exactly could change over the weekend to lead to a different result early next week, and which, if any, Democrats would vote differently if the TAA portion of the bill were to be reconsidered. 
 
 Pelosi already had her demands in mind. In a letter to House Democrats, she said the prospects for trade promotion authority would "greatly increase with the passage of a robust highway bill." 
 
 Other Democrats made the case that Democrats might realize their gambit could result in the elimination of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program after the symbolic vote in favor of trade promotion authority -- the bill Democrats really want to kill. 
 
 "If members of my caucus come to the belief that ... you could end up getting fast track without Trade Adjustment Assistance, I think many of my colleagues would reconsider Trade Adjustment Assistance," New York Democratic Rep. Steve Israel said. But, he added, "I don't think anybody knows where we're going right now. 
 
 Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the point person for House Republicans on trade, told reporters after Friday's votes, "this isn't over yet." 
 
 "America is being watched by the rest of world," Ryan warned, adding, "now the President has some work yet to do with his party to complete this process." ||||| The House on Friday dealt a staggering blow to President Barack Obama’s trade agenda, as Democrats turned en masse against the president just hours after he made a direct appeal to salvage a centerpiece of his second-term platform. 
 
 Lawmakers easily defeated a measure to help workers displaced by free trade known as Trade Adjustment Assistance. The aid package needed to pass in order to enact companion legislation that would give Obama fast-track trade authority to complete the sweeping, 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact. 
 
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 The vote on the TAA bill was 126-302. 
 
 “Whatever the deal is with other countries,” Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said before the vote, breaking her longtime silence on the issue, “we want a better deal for America’s workers.” 
 
 The vote came after President Barack Obama, in a last-ditch effort, made a rare visit to the Capitol to lobby for legislation. He implored Democrats to “play it straight” on the decisive vote. 
 
 Obama spent roughly 40 minutes with Democratic lawmakers, taking no questions but telling his party to “vote your values,” according to a source in the room. 
 
 But Democratic lawmakers rebuffed him hours later, voting overwhelmingly to scuttle the trade package that was a centerpiece of the president’s second-term agenda. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who had remained silent for weeks on the trade issue, went to the House floor shortly before the vote to speak against the trade deal. 
 
 Afterward, Pelosi linked trade to her party’s uphill effort to enact a long-term highway funding bill. “The prospects for passage of” the trade bill, she wrote in a letter to fellow Democrats, “will greatly increase with the passage of a robust highway bill.” 
 
 After TAA failed, the House approved fast-track legislation, known as Trade Promotion Authority, in a 219-211 vote. But that vote was largely for show, because enactment of TPA is contingent on approval of TAA. 
 
 The House could vote again on TAA next week. If enough votes flipped to pass it, it would mean that TPA prevailed as well, because the two bills are interconnected. 
 
 House Republican leaders say they have 100 votes for TAA, and Democrats would need to provide 118 if another vote happens. On Friday, Democrats provided 40 votes for TAA, while 86 Republicans supported it. In other words, Democrats would need to essentially triple their vote total to pass the measure. 
 
 White House spokesman Josh Earnest downplayed the defeat as a “procedural snafu,” comparing it to the Senate’s initial rejection of the legislation before it was later adopted. 
 
 “To the surprise of very few, another procedural snafu has emerged,’’ Earnest told reporters. “These kinds of entanglements are endemic to the House of Representatives.’’ 
 
 With his trade push on the ropes, Obama headed to Capitol Hill Friday morning to plead with his party to bail him out. The president needed to convince Democrats to back TAA, which would provide aid and retraining to workers who lose their jobs to trade agreements. The TAA bill was intertwined with legislation to give Obama Trade Promotion Authority. 
 
 House Democrats — most of whom have been firmly entrenched in their position for weeks — emerged from the meeting with the president still divided. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a pro-trade Democrat from Oregon, said Obama “hit it out of the park.” 
 
 “It was a powerful presentation,” Blumeuaer said. But another supporter, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) said afterward it would be an “uphill climb to get to 217,” referring to the number of votes needed to pass a bill. 
 
 That turned out to be an understatement. 
 
 “TAA has always been an absolute admission to me that there is going to be lots of lost jobs,” Rep. Louise Slaughter, a top House Democrat from New York, said before the vote. Multiple Democrats echoed that sentiment on the House floor. 
 
 There was also palpable anger at the president leading up to the vote. Rep. Peter DeFazio said he thought Obama “tried to guilt people and impugn their integrity.” 
 
 “There was a number of us who were insulted,” DeFazio (D-Ore.) said in an interview after the meeting with Obama. 
 
 Obama acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding the Friday vote, which turned out to be much more lopsided than anyone expected. 
 
 “I don’t think you ever nail anything down around here, it’s always moving,” the president told reporters after he spoke with lawmakers. 
 
 Republicans and Democrats were predicting ahead of the vote that TAA was headed for defeat — bringing fast track down with it — unless the dynamic dramatically shifted this morning. Obama’s visit to Capitol Hill, a rare round of personal lobbying by a president not known for his relationships with lawmakers, was designed to do just that. 
 
 Obama arrived at Pelosi’s second-floor Capitol office suite at 9:41 a.m., waving to a small group of reporters gathered in the hallway. He walked into the House Democratic Caucus meeting with Pelosi and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the assistant minority leader. 
 
 Obama also made an appearance at the congressional baseball game on Thursday night, and top administration officials — including Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough — have been meeting with Democrats for the past several days. 
 
 Some Democrats were clearly unmoved by the direct appeal from the commander-in-chief. 
 
 “We’re going to win today,” Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, declared before the meeting with Obama. “No on both.” 
 
 The eleventh hour drama came as top lawmakers and aides said they had no idea going in how Friday’s momentous vote would play out. 
 
 Pelosi (D-Calif.) had been mum on both bills bill, which created an opening for liberal opposition to TAA to swell. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he planned to vote for TAA, but didn’t signal his position on the larger fast-track bill. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the assistant Democratic leader, was undecided. 
 
 House Republican leaders needed a large number of Democrats to vote for TAA in order for it to pass. 
 
 “I think Republicans are going to provide a share of their votes based upon what Republicans have done in the past, and it’s up to the Democrat leadership and the president to get Democrats on board,” Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) said on Thursday. He, along with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), led the pro-trade whip operation. 
 
 Democrats have traditionally backed TAA, with its focus on helping struggling unemployed workers. But Democrats complained to White House officials this week that the TAA package was too small, and argued the president should be leaning on Republicans to enlarge it. 
 
 But many Democrats came to view the jobs assistance bill as a way to sink the entire trade package. 
 
 Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Sandy Levin (Mich.), the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, led the push for Democrats to vote against TAA. And they were joined, in the end, by Pelosi. 
 
 Defeating the jobs aid bill, the Democratic leader said minutes before the vote, “is the only way we will be able to slow down fast track.” ||||| House GOP leaders and the Obama administration are scrambling to win over lawmakers in both parties ahead of two critical trade votes on Friday. 
 
 Last-second Democratic threats to vote down a bill granting aid to workers displaced by trade is threatening the larger package, and lawmakers in both parties say the outcome is in doubt. 
 
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 The White House late Thursday was pleading with Democrats to back trade adjustment assistance (TAA), a program that traditionally has had more support from Democrats than the GOP. 
 
 Because of possible Democratic defections, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said the GOP whip team might have to approach some anti-TAA Republicans and ask them to vote in favor. 
 
 “I think Democrats are playing games with it right now. We’re in a situation where people are willing to cut off their nose to spite their face,” Cole, a deputy whip, told The Hill. “Liberal, pro-trade union Democrats are breaking ranks and destroying a program that they fought to create because they’re so much against TPA [trade promotion authority].” 
 
 The complicated path that GOP leaders and the White House are walking was highlighted Thursday night, when a House rule governing the debate narrowly passed — and only because eight Democrats broke ranks and supported it. 
 
 That rule sets up votes on both TPA, also known as fast-track, and TAA on Friday. If the TAA bill is defeated, however, there won’t even be a vote on fast-track, and the whole package will collapse. 
 
 That has created an incentive for Democrats opposed to fast-track to vote against TAA, in hopes it will drag the entire package down. 
 
 Some pro-trade Democrats expressed frustration with the threat. 
 
 “Certain people argued that this is the mechanism to kill TPA, and that that’s worth doing,” said Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who favors fast-track. “Other people pointed out that that’s a terribly cynical gamble.” 
 
 Cole said he felt good about the TAA vote but conceded, “It will be tricky, and it will be close. 
 
 House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas), who supports the entire trade package, said he had serious concerns the TAA vote could fail. But he was confident Democrats would bear the blame if they voted to kill the trade package. 
 
 “We cannot pass this all by ourselves,” Sessions said. “If we’re for it and they’re against, you can tell who gets blamed.” 
 
 It’s unclear how many Democrats might vote against TAA, but the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Thursday sent a letter to party leaders signed by 77 lawmakers, urging them to rework the TAA bill. 
 
 While the letter did not say these members would definitely oppose the bill as is, it suggests there could be a significant faction of Democrats with concerns. 
 
 With just hours to go before the critical votes, members in both parties were left with nothing but guesses on the final outcome. 
 
 “The only thing that is predictable is the unpredictable,” said Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.). “Anyone who tells you they know where this is going to land is the last person you should be listening to.” 
 
 The White House argued the tactic could kill a program that has helped millions of workers. 
 
 At the closed-door Democratic caucus meeting, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told Democrats it was a “life or death” moment for TAA, according to an aide at the meeting. 
 
 Critics of the approach argued that Republicans, who mostly do not support TAA, would not bring up another vote on the program if this one were defeated, letting the program expire at the end of the year. 
 
 “The only people who care about this program is Democrats,” said Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.). “It’s not a bill that Republicans wake up and want to put on the floor.” 
 
 But some Democrats opposed to fast-track legislation argue voting against TAA is the best way to defeat TPA. 
 
 Democrats are also under intense pressure from labor unions and other liberal groups to vote fast-track down. 
 
 AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka attended the same Democratic caucus meeting and urged them to oppose the trade package. 
 
 Democrats are largely in favor of TAA, but some liberals have also griped that the program to be voted on Friday would not cover public-sector union members. 
 
 House Republicans did not want to change the actual text of the TAA legislation already passed by the Senate, because doing so would require sending it back to that chamber for another vote. 
 
 And despite a deal between Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that replaced cuts to Medicare as a way of paying for TAA, some liberals said the bill would still leave them exposed to charges that they voted to cut Medicare. 
 
 “That’s still unacceptable to many of us. It should be in the language of the TAA,” said Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.). “It’s tortuous, it’s a gimmick, and we’re relying on people’s discretion.” 
 
 A major question heading into Friday’s tight votes is whether the TAA tactic is a last gasp effort by liberals desperate to put the brakes on fast-track or a growing movement by House Democrats unhappy enough with the process to vote against a program they almost exclusively favor. 
 
 Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.), another fast-track backer, argued the anti-TAA forces were overblown. 
 
 “The feedback we’re getting seemed a lot more positive on the Democratic side in support of TAA than what the story’s being written,” he said. “We’re going to get it done.” 
 
 Still, some significant names announced they would oppose TAA, including Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee and a top Democrat on trade. 
 
 Other Democrats insisted that voting to kill TAA would not defeat the fast-track bill — it would just slow it down. 
 
 “My understanding is that if the TAA is voted down tomorrow, it does not mean that [fast-track] will not be brought back up,” said Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.). “The [fast-track] bill does not die, it can be brought back up again.”
– It's a sign of just how close the vote is and just how important it is to President Obama: He made a rare personal appearance on Capitol Hill today to schmooze Democrats in a bid to save an international trade deal—but it's not at all clear that he'll succeed, reports Politico. The weird formula to success: TAA plus TPA equals TPP. The first is something called Trade Adjustment Assistance, would provide job training and other help to people who lose their jobs because of the trade deal. The second is Trade Promotion Authority, which gives Obama fast-track authority to negotiate the deal with foreign leaders, and the third is the deal itself, the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The first vote will be on TAA, and if it fails, the game is over—no vote on the TPA would even take place. Democrats would typically support a measure such as TAA, but they know that if they torpedo it, they can kill the larger deal, explains the Hill. "Certain people argued that this is the mechanism to kill TPA, and that that’s worth doing," says Democratic Rep. Jim Himes, who backs fast-track. "Other people pointed out that that’s a terribly cynical gamble." At this point, CNN rounds up 124 "hard nos" among the 188 Democrats, who say that the trade deal will result in too many jobs going overseas. That number means that Obama must flip some votes among Democrats or John Boehner must do the same among Republicans. As for how Obama tried to do that today, Politico notes he spent about 45 minutes making his case and took no questions. The number of votes needed to pass the bill: 217.