From an article about the Hagel vote this week: "There was a time in the U.S. senate when junior senators lived in mortal fear of senior senators. Today, it's the other way around."

From The Wall Street Journal:

Chief among those seeking a delay was Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a conservative freshman with strong tea-party support. His role underscores a generational split within the GOP that reaches beyond the current nomination fight. An influx of younger, more confrontational conservatives has contributed to the more polarized tone of the chamber.

"There was a time in the U.S. senate when junior senators lived in mortal fear of senior senators," said Ross Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University. "Today, it's the other way around."