The clash that has led to the historic abnormality of a House of Representatives without a speaker is fascinating in part because of the odd combination of factors at play.
Rather than a battle over a single policy or ideological issue, the frustrations of the chaotic 10 per cent of House Republicans who voted against Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday are numerous and varied: from personal gripes to demands divorced from anything a different speaker could deliver. A chief motivation can be found in the make-up of this slim House majority itself – thanks to GOP successes in states like New York and the failures of several populist candidates, it’s far less Freedom Caucus-y and far more Main Street Republican than many conservatives had expected.
Catching up with Congressman Chip Roy last week, we chatted about his intentions. Roy’s attitude is far more serious than some of his insurgent compatriots: he wants to take every opportunity he can to move things in a conservative direction, and he felt this was an opportunity to do that.
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