The adults finally showed up. By derailing Rep. Jim Jordan’s bid to become Speaker of the House (at least until January, when he might run again), Republicans appear to have dodged a massive bullet on Thursday.
Sure, it was a small band of Republicans (22 on the second ballot) who rallied to stop Jordan—a man who was involved in Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election—from becoming speaker. But it was a much slimmer minority of Republicans who made Jordan’s ascension plausible in the first place.
And let’s be honest: If Jordan had managed to win the speakership, we’d be rightly lamenting that “the Trumpification of the GOP was now complete with a Big Lie promoter becoming Speaker.” So, it’s only fair to give credit to Republicans who pumped the brakes.