"In vino veritas." The Roman proverb — "In wine, there is truth" — reflects the fact that people are often at their most honest when they've had a few.

Elections can have the same effect for some to become drunk on even the prospect of power. Partisans can blurt out their inner thoughts with shocking frankness.

That was the case this week as Democratic luminaries discussed plans to retake power and then fundamentally change the constitutional system to guarantee they will never have to give it up again.

It turns out that winning votes in three blue states and a blue city in an off-year election can be quite intoxicating. It is easy to dismiss it as the talk of chest-thumping, bar-room blowhards about whom they were going to thump. But there is a truth in the bravado.

Citing election results, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) seemed to bounce with elation in declaring that "the Democratic Party looks powerful for the first time all year.” In a moment of remarkable candor, Murphy explained his desire to continue the shutdown, admitting deep concerns about the midterm elections if Democrats reopen the government.

"If we surrender without having gotten anything, and we cause a lot of folks in this country who had started to believe in the Democratic Party to retreat again — I worry that it will be hard to sort of, get them back up off the mat in time for next fall’s election,” he said.

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