They plugged Senators Bob Singer (R-30) and Declan O’Scanlon (R-13) late.

That was the administration.

Those were two Republicans supposedly willing to talk.

Senator Kip Bateman was never unreasonable.

But he was close to Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) and Bateman wasn’t budging.

He had voted no in Senate Judiciary, and he was still no.

Prosecutor.

Cops didn’t want it and told him so.

Sweeney tried him again.

But Bateman was still going to be a no.

So the administration – and this was apparently Governor Phil Murphy himself – made his late case for recreational marijuana legalization to O’Scanlon, Singer, and two down south Democrats who supposedly were more malleable than their regional cohorts (with the exception of Senator Troy Singleton, a yes): Senator Dawn Addiego and Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez.

But again, most sources at this point concluded those conversations were the equivalent of a fighter, on his back and out – still throwing punches in his sleep.