When Republicans said that Obama couldn't nominate a justice until after the election, what they really meant was, "we don't actually believe in anything other than our own power, suckers."
Republicans aren't going to suddenly aquire moral beliefs or political principles in the wake of losing one of the most liberal justices in the courts. This is exactly the scenario that they were hoping for.
I still think there is a chance that they won't succeed. There are some Republican senators who would love to win this November and refusing a vote would help their chances. (I'm looking at you, Maine)
The only bummer for Democrats in this scenario is that Republicans refusing to vote on a justice might actually win them the election and prevent Democrats from taking the Senate again.
I wish I could find some positive spin here but Republicans are quite happy today and their happiness almost always comes at the expense of our hard-earned constitutional rights. They certainly aren't even slightly concerned about what they are about to do to erode public confidence in the courts.