… At this point (Thursday afternoon), with 201 Republicans supporting McCarthy and 20 still opposed, 10 percent of the Republican conference members are dictating what the other 90 percent can and can’t do. …
History shows us that political parties, wherever they are found, almost always have a few rebels and radicals in the ranks pushing hard for change. It’s one of the reasons the House speakership has always been such a difficult and demanding job. It requires a leader with the ability to balance the interests of the country, the members and the electoral coalition that delivered the House majority to his or her party. Not an easy job under the best of circumstances, made even more difficult without a unified conference. …
Until the conference is working together again to move forward, the 20 objectors are achieving little at great cost to whoever is the next speaker. When a tiny minority can dominate the majority, you have a structural problem that threatens party effectiveness. This is not a sustainable doctrine for a working majority coalition or choosing leadership. CONTINUED
David Winston (Winston Group), Roll Call
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