The governor took some hits over the weekend for trotting off to Japan while the so-called budget crisis was burning in Lansing.  Some opined it was wrong for her to split. Frankly it was meaningless.  She was back on Monday.

     Besides there was no reason to worry as her two male legislative "partners," as she refers to them, were in charge.  House Speaker Andy Dillon and his sidekick and GOP Senate Leader Mike Bishop have forged a pretty solid working relationship complete with a modicum of mutual respect, which frankly doesn't appear to be the case when it comes to them working with her.

     To underscore this point, the two guys sett led on budget targets and she was not in the room when they did it.

     Nonetheless before she scooted over to the Far East in hopes of bringing back a job or two, democrat Dillon briefed the governor on the plan he was sharing with Bishop.  She said she didn't like it.

    In a nutshell, Dillon wants to find $1.2 billion in cuts that his party can live with. That's what Bishop wants and in return Bishop is supposed to pop some votes for democratic revenue raising bills.

    All of this is now in play but as Dillon puts it, "There is no deal."  Bishop chimed in on WWJ NewsRadio 950 saying "all the elements" are in place for a deal to occur.

    Bishop says he has not seen the house democratic revenue package and won't comment until he does.

     Two years ago, Bishop was on the hot seat being tugged and pulled to allow a vote on an income tax increase. Bishop succumbed, but he's not making those noises now. If there is a vote on new revenue he thinks the GOP caucus will vote on it, "just to kill it."

    From the sidelines the governor is apparently content to let the two guys have at it and if a real deal comes out of it, halleluiah.

     If not, they can always pass an emergency budget creating more time to avert a government shutdown.

    Everyone who is getting sick of this story, raise your hand.