Winning the unemployment benefits extension, and an opening for other meaningful legislation (DREAM Act, START, DADT repeal) is a far more immediately concrete thing than making a point about Republican obstructionism.
People with jobs or reliable sources of income shouldn't worry more about making political points than the source of income for at least 2 million jobless workers.
The lesson to learn is not to make political symbology out of lost votes but to fight harder (against cynicism) for real momentum and electoral advantage each November.
Republican obstructionism is the real culprit here, not Democrats in Congress.