Don't be fooled the Republicans absolutely wanted the Dems to side step filibuster. [View all]

[grantcart]

In 2014 the Republicans have a slim chance of winning the Senate majority

They have no chance of getting close to 60.

In 2014 there are 20 Democrats up for re-election and 13 Republicans but in 2016 only 10 Democrats are up and 24 Republicans (many from blue states) are up.

So Republicans have zero chance of getting to 60 votes before 2018. They know that they have poisoned the well on bipartisanship and that if they were to get the Senate back and hold the House then they couldn't get anything passed the Senate filibuster.

Therefore the Republicans have been making agreements on the filibuster and then breaking them with the thinnest arguments (the district court doesn't need any more judges) in an effort to provoke the Democrats with a limited nuclear option.

That way if they re take the Senate they would use the same 'nuclear' strategy to completely do away with the filibuster and if they held the House pass hundreds of bills attacking the ACA, Social Security and try and bury the President with poisoned legislation and make him veto until they wear him down.

This is why the Democrats have been reluctant to pull the trigger on the nuclear option.

This is why the Republicans have gone to such outlandish lengths to provoke the Democrats.

With the current poll numbers of the President and the ACA they think that they can get back the Senate and the House.

How bitter will their tears be when the bugs in the ACA are out and millions of Americans get better health care and the poll numbers reverse.

If we take the House and keep the Senate then we should take a page from the obvious strategy of the Republicans and do away with the filibuster and run the table from Public Option, Minimum Wage, Climate Change, Entitlements and the rest of our agenda.

The President, Reid and Pelosi have doubled down on the Republican strategy.

If the Republicans fail to take the Senate and keep the House expect to see a bunch of Republican Senators retire and go into lobbying because they will remain in the minority for years and there is little enjoyment to be stuck without a committee chairmanship or any power when you can sell out and make millions as a lobbyist. If they don't take the Senate this time they will lose it for years into the future.