Weigel

In case you were wondering, the House still hates how the Senate works. At his weekly briefing, where Mark Zandi's and Alec Phillips's critiques of GOP spending cuts justified the new term "Republican 'So Be It' Spending Plan," Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer expressed solidarity with the absent Wisconsin Democratic senators.

"There are 14 members of the Wisconsin Senate not in Wisconsin," said Hoyer. "Some Republicans have criticized that, criticized them for leaving because they don't want something to come to floor." Hoyer paused for effect. "Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty, forty-one Republicans did that consistently over the last two years in the U.S. Senate. They were here. They didn't want the bills to come to the floor. I see no substantive difference."