From his perch in Trenton, Phil Murphy never has been shy about attacking Mitch McConnell.

History, he has said, will judge the Republican leader from Kentucky harshly for his refusal to support aid for New Jersey and other struggling states and towns. The governor has taken particular umbrage at McConnell’s suggestion that aid for New Jersey and similar locales would be a “blue state” bailout.

So, you may have expected Murphy to do a victory dance at his briefing today after Democrats took control of the Senate by winning two special elections yesterday in Georgia.

For some reason, Murphy demurred.

He even avoided the temptation to say, as some Democrats have said or tweeted, the following magic words – “Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.”

Instead, the governor eschewed the politics and kept his comments about the Peach State event to policy. That was a bit boring.

He said the incoming Biden administration and a fully-Democratic Congress can move initiatives in a “direction that is favorable to New Jersey.”

Topping his list is the aforementioned federal help for states and municipalities.

The governor also is hopeful that the changing winds in Washington will accelerate construction of the Gateway Tunnel and other public projects important to the state.

And then, there is restoring the full federal income tax deduction for state and local taxes, which is now capped at $10,000. House Democrats passed a bill to do away with the cap, but it stalled in the Senate.

Murphy called all those things a “big deal” for New Jersey.

Other than that, his only comment on the outside world was a remark about the “future of the republican” unfolding in Washington.

The governor did try to address what he said were some vaccine myths, calling on Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, a medical advisor, for help.

Bresnitz said there is no credence to social media reports that the COVID vaccine can cause infertility or alter one’s DNA sequence.

Murphy deflected a rumor of his own when he was asked to respond to reports that “elected officials” are able to get the vaccine before many others.

The governor said that’s not true, unless, of course, an elected official also qualifies as an essential or frontline worker.

The subject of people “jumping the line” and getting the vaccine before being eligible to do so also was raised.

What’s the penalty for such actions?

Murphy admitted there isn’t all that much the state can do other than display their photos at briefings.

Ah, the “knucklehead” Hall of Fame.