They were obviously going to make adjustments after 2016. They definitely figured out what went wrong. Move. Countermove Our turn.

it's just been one horribly long setup. like a RICO case. let them keep buying rope so we get em all in the end.

1. They cheated & it was allowed on a limited basis to strategically give them a house majority while retaining the senate (Q called the senate RvD results before the election).
2. By giving them house majority, HRC's comment 'civility can return if we win the house' was shown to be to be a lie & proved they will never be civil so long as we breathe.
3. It provided them a platform to make themselves look bad to their supporters by not introducing any meaningful legislation & only obstructing.
4. By letting them control the house, which is the weakest arm of the federal government, we gave up little power & gained the optics of not being in complete control.
5. It was part of the plan - this has all been wargamed & it was necessary for future ops.
6. I'm sure there is more that I am missing. My $0.02 fiat.