WI Republican state senator to Dem, whom he knows as a colleague:

Hopper [the Republican] says he reminded Taylor [the Dem] that Republicans were out of power not too long ago, when Democrats controlled the state Assembly, Senate and governor’s office. “There were bills I was adamantly opposed to,” Hopper says, “and we didn’t run away.”

How you argue against that point, I dunno. The crux of it:

At the heart of all this, Republicans and Democrats are realizing there might be a gap between them that is bigger than they realized. To Republicans, the budget fight has involved the widespread shirking of responsibilities: teachers walking out on students, legislators running away from their offices, even doctors abandoning medical standards to make excuses for perfectly healthy teacher/protesters. To Democrats, the fight has touched a core issue; anything is justified to preserve union benefits.

Or, as Saul Alinsky said, “If the end doesn’t justify the means, what the hell does?” It’s making social concerns trump personal morality.