When you have your opponent on the ropes, you wail on him until he submits.

So suggested Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) today in the Democratic caucus – but to no avail.

A source told InsiderNJ that Sweeney wanted to introduce subpoena power for the lawmakers on the Katie Brennan panel to now turn their full attention on the embattled state Schools Development Authority (SDA).

Sweeney felt out caucus allies on the action item.

But senators slapped him down.

At a certain point, it begins to look like overkill, or so thought more than a couple of senators in the caucus room.

We know you don’t like Murphy, was the rejoinder. We know you beat him up on the budget. But it’s too much. The senate president could not muster support to reinvest the select committee with subpoena power.