As Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly battled Republicans over the government shutdown, he was privately cajoling a group of moderates not to fold before November.

Why it matters: Democrats are blaming Schumer (D-N.Y.) for not prolonging the shutdown. In reality, it could have been much shorter.

Two weeks into the shutdown, a group of moderates told Schumer they were ready to vote to open the government, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.

It's unclear if that group was big enough to end the shutdown. But Schumer persuaded the moderates to hold out until at least the beginning of November, when open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act began.