'...grimly amusing to see that the party of insurrection can’t even manage the orderly transfer of power to itself.'

'Kevin McCarthy nurtured the spirit of reactionary nihilism in the Republican Party, first by trying to harness the energy of the Tea Party for his own ambition, and then by his near-total capitulation to Donald Trump. Now the chaotic forces he abetted have, at least for the moment, derailed his goal of becoming House speaker, subjecting him to multiple public humiliations at what was supposed to be his moment of triumph.'

'...he’d be a fragile figurehead, a hostage to the hard right and constantly in danger of defenestration'

'...Georgia’s Marjorie Taylor Greene, an avatar of hyper-performative politics...'

Trumpists who aspire to notoriety don’t want policy; they want airtime.

'...Trump sycophants are ultimately undermined by their weak and flabby character.'