The base's rage ill serves the Democratic Party

In a week chock full of news, the party that found itself on the night of Nov. 8, much to its surprise, very much out of power has been having difficulty finding a way to return.

Democratic senators, urged on by the leftist blogosphere and party activists, peppered Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch with hostile questions, but to no apparent effect. They have failed to raise fears that Gorsuch would vote to repeal the 44-year-old Roe v. Wade, and their argument that he is a shill for big corporations is an obvious dud.

But "the base," or "the resistance" as it calls itself, as if it were opposing Hitler, is demanding all-out opposition, including a filibuster. In which case, Republicans will eliminate the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees as Harry Reid and Democrats did in 2013 for lower court and executive branch nominees.

Republicans won't hold their Senate majority forever, but they aren't likely to lose it in 2018, when Democrats will defend 10 seats in states carried by President Trump and Republicans will defend only one in a Hillary Clinton state.

Democrats did gain — or retain — a talking point in the Monday House Intelligence hearings when FBI Director James Comey said there's an ongoing investigation of Russian ties with persons involved in the Trump campaign.