This particular bill needs the 60 vote threshold. It's my belief that neither party will have a solid 60 in my lifetime. Therefore you're going to see this type of nonsense where as few as 9 voting members can change the outcome.
If the five defectors from the GOP had voted for this, it would still take democrats to pull it off. You wouldn't any defectors from the dems. Therein lies the problem with the GOP. They don't always vote to protect the party. Democrats do.
Obstructionism is the wave of the future and it will be done by both parties.