the question isn't why did Harry cave

[Enrique]

when he was talking about filibuster reform, my attitude was, Harry Reid isn't going to do filibuster reform so why is he talking about it?

So that's the real question, why was he talking about it?

I think it was about the 2012 election. There was an idea out there which I thought was very dangerous, and it was perfectly summed up in a David Brooks column. An extremely cynical column shortly before the election where Brooks said he endorsed Romney, because if Obama was re-elected, the GOP would obstruct everything and the economy would collapse. Basically it was a hostage situation, just like everything else in politics these days.

So the dangerous message was "Ok Obama you say you're going to do all these things but you can't do any of it because the GOP is going to block you". He was asked this by reporters more than once. I recall Axelrod and Carney both handling such questions, and their answers weren't convincing. They said after Obama is reelected the GOP would change,they would become less obstructionist.

So in case there were people who were skeptical about the GOP changing, they had to get the idea into people's heads that if Obama was re-elected, things would be different. If the GOP didn't become more accomodating then the system would change so they had less power to obstruct. Thus filibuster reform.