Klein: Democrats were on a roll. Why stop now?

"Back in September, when I was reporting an article on whether Democrats should shut down the government, I kept hearing the same warning from veterans of past shutdown fights: The president controls the bully pulpit. He controls, to some degree, which parts of the government stay open and which parts close. It is very, very hard for the opposition party to win a shutdown. Which makes it all the more remarkable that Democrats were winning this one."

"The guts of the deal are this: Food assistance both SNAP and WIC, I was told will get a bit more funding, and there are a few other modest concessions on spending levels elsewhere in the government. Laid-off federal workers will be rehired and furloughed federal workers given back pay. Most of the government is funded only until the end of January."

"Most gallingly, the deal does nothing to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits over which Democrats ostensibly shut down the government in the first place. All it offers is a promise from Republicans to hold a vote on the tax credits in the future. Of the dozen or so House and Senate Democrats I spoke to over the past 24 hours, every one expected that vote to fail."

Democrats gained public sympathy during the shutdown, with polls showing most voters blamed Republicans and the president's approval rating sliding. Republicans suffered election setbacks in part attributed to the shutdown. A group of Senate Democrats negotiated a weekend deal to reopen most government functions in exchange for modest increases to food assistance programs and small spending concessions. The agreement rehired laid-off federal workers and provided back pay but funds the government only until the end of January. The deal does not extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits and offers only a future vote widely expected to fail.

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