McConnell, speaking next, accused Reid of trying to deflect attention from the ongoing failure of Obamacare implementation. "Let me be clear: The Democratic playbook of double standards, broken promises, and raw power is the same playbook that got us Obamacare," he raged. "It has to end. It may take the American people to end it."

McConnell tried to delay the vote, perhaps hoping for a last-minute deal to avert the rule change. But the motion to adjourn for a few hours failed on a nearly party-line vote. On the vote to abolish the filibuster for most executive and judicial nominations, the final tally was 52 in favor, 48 opposed, with Democratic Senators Carl Levin, Joe Manchin, and Mark Pryor joining the Republicans. The change does not eliminate the 60-vote threshold for legislation or for Supreme Court nominations.

Why did Reid pull the trigger? He was tired of making deals with McConnell, only to see their spirit violated by yet more obstruction, allies say. The two reached an informal agreement in January that was supposed to lead to fewer filibuster threats, and another deal in July that paved the way for several executive-branch nominations, including Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Thomas Perez to head the Department of Labor. But none of these bargains affected the overall trend of blockage, and Reid finally had enough.

Reid and other Democrats also concluded that Republicans, if they did retake the majority, would likely change the rules to give themselves more power if Democrats hadn't done it already. And Democrats are currently a slight favorite to retain the Senate majority in 2014. For Reid, getting the president his "team" for the next three years was worth the hypothetical risk down the road. "The Senate is a living thing," he said, "and to survive, it must change."

No alarm went off when the vote was recorded; no balloons fell from the ceiling. Reid proceeded to bring up one of the appeals-court nominees, Patricia Millett, whose nomination was advanced with 55 votes.* The other two judicial nominees were likely to follow, along with Representative Mel Watt to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Janet Yellen to chair the Federal Reserve, and Jeh Johnson to head Homeland Security. Liberals cheered the breakthrough: Tom Perriello of the Center for American Progress, for example, called it "a victory for the American people and an important step towards getting Washington back to work."

President Obama appeared briefly before cameras to voice his support, saying, "A majority of senators believe, as I believe, that enough is enough." Vice President Biden, also a former senator, told reporters trailing him on a visit to a sandwich-shop opening that he, too, supported the move. Meanwhile, some conservatives were also elated at what they viewed as a Democratic misstep that would open the door to eventual Republican dominance. "Want to repeal Obamacare? Want to pass sweeping national restrictions on abortion?" David Freddoso wrote in the Conservative Intelligence Briefing. "Want to drill for oil in Alaska? Harry Reid is in the process of making all that happen."