What's missing: We had two ways to "win"

I had faith that the Democrats in the Senate got it. That they would hold out until:

1) Trumpublicans ended the shutdown by adding an ACA subsidy extension

2) Trumpublicans ended the shutdown by jettisoning the filibuster.

As I listen the detractors, the defectors, and the people defending them, the prevalence of a strange, and completely false view of things is blowing my mind. That false view is that the only way to win would have been an extension of the ACA subsidies.

From that notion, follows the wrongheaded belief that once it became clear the Trumpublicans wouldn't give an inch, the only "out" was surrender... that it was just a matter of time.

But that is total crap.

Failing Option 1, Option 2 would have been a powerful win in the moral battle we are waging against the MAGAcrats.

If the Republicans had gone nuclear, which I firmly believe they would have within a week because they all dreaded their constituents hating on them over Thanksgiving Dinner:

-Instead of saying WTF did the Dems subject us to this pain for, people would be up in arms at the Trumpublicans: "You mean you could have ended this by getting rid of the filibuster before it even started!!!"

-Democrats would be the ones that stood strong, doing battle on behalf of the American people with the leverage they had right up to the point that that leverage was forcibly taken from them.

-Our Democratic electeds would have demonstrated an unprecedented strength.

-People who support the Democratic Party would be riding as high as they were on Friday. Enraged by the ACA loss, but proud as hell of the strength demonstrated.

-The depravity and cruelty shown by the felon during the shutdown would be all the more evident as his Trumpublicans took 100% responsibly for the horror show.

It WAS NOT just about holding out to WIN. It was about saying "If you will not do the right thing, we REFUSE to be complicit in doing the wrong thing. You can end this shutdown today. But it will be all on you."

Yes, the five who wrongheadedly refused to hold out have done the party harm. And as we make it clear how angry we are about it, I think we need to be crystal clear that they failed us, not be failing to get their demands met, they failed us because in this fight we had faith that they would (1) make their demand, (2) hold out until either

(a) MAGA R's met the demand, or
(b) MAGA R's went nuclear and ended the shutdown on their own, without the complicity or capitulation of the Democrats.