With 54 Reps, there will be at least 6 Dems who will vote with them to get to 60. If the Dems who voted today for the pipeline, vote the same way in January, there will be 63 votes for it.
You’re assuming those dems vote the same way. This was a ‘show’ vote to demonstrate the power of Landrieu. Now she can say I almost got the Senate to approve the pipeline. I would not be surprised to learn that Reid scripted this vote by deciding exactly which dems would vote for the pipeline and to ensure that it failed by one vote. It will fail by one vote every time it’s brought up.