My point was that there are a significant number of liberals that are Republican in the Senate. It would be impossible to kill the filibuster, unless they "go nuclear" with Dick Cheney as describled below: (see full article why Cheney is important as President of the Senate)
Excerpt:
Their approach calls for employing a rarely used parliamentary tactic to overturn current Senate procedures.
Under the strategy envisioned by Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), among others, the Republicans would strip any Senate minority — currently the Democrats — of their ability to filibuster presidential nominees.
Approval by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (Tenn.), which is being sought, would all but assure that the plan would go forward.
Under the most likely scenario now under discussion, they would secure a ruling from the chair that Senate Rule XXII does not apply to executive submissions to the Senate — and that includes judicial nominees. Rule XXII provides for unlimited debate on all legislative issues that reach the floor unless three-fifths of the Senate calls a halt.
With such an approach, a favorable ruling from the chair on limiting the scope of Rule XXII could stand after only a simple majority approved it.
End excerpt.
Here is URL to full article:
Hatch group may go ‘nuclear’ on judges Plan would limit use of Rule XXII in Dem filibusters
You need 60 to invoke cloture on a particular debate. But if you wanted to eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominees altogether, you only need 50. 60 is just set by Senate rules, which can lawfully be changed at any time by a majority vote, parliamentary rules be damned. If the President sends over a nomination, and 50 Senators plus the VP caucus and approve, that meets the requirements of the Constitution. In essence, you just ignore the rules.