In their joint statement, they said, “Kevin McCarthy has effectively led House Republicans from the Minority to the Majority and we want to see him continue to lead the party so we can pick up seats for the third cycle in a row.

CLF (Conservative Leadership Fund) will not spend in any open-seat primaries in safe Republican districts and CLF will not grant resources to other superPAC’s to do so. CLF has never spent a dollar against a Republican incumbent before and obviously will continue that policy in the future.”

Club For Growth President David McIntosh added this. “This agreement on superPAC’s fulfills a major concern we have pressed for. We understand that Leader McCarthy and members are working on a rules agreement that will meet the principles we have set out previously. Assuming these principles are met, Club For Growth will support Kevin McCarthy for Speaker.”

And with that, The Lincolnesque bridge back into the Union takes shape. This stalemate cannot continue. Everyone knows this, except maybe for Matt Gaetz, who moonlights part-time as a moron. To everyone else, most notably Chip Roy, the plank that the 20 holdouts find themselves has been getting a little flimsy, and there had to be some way to allow most of the 20 a way back into the fold without repercussions.

There are real world consequences to holding up business in the House, and a flippant remark here and there about the country not caring who is the speaker of not isn’t going to work long-term. It’s one thing for empty rhetoric. It’s another thing to jeopardize national security in order to give a showcase to a bunch of narcissists.

In a press conference earlier on Wednesday, House Republicans that are largely made up of military members outlined just some of the damage that’s already being done by the standoff. From NBC News:

Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and other House Republicans who work on military and intelligence matters said the protracted speaker’s race is starting to impact national security planning since some security clearances are contingent on lawmakers being sworn in.

During a news conference Wednesday, Gallagher and other members of the House Republican caucus who are military veterans — and firmly in McCarthy’s camp in his bid for speaker — said they would usually use the sensitive compartmented information facility, or SCIF, to receive daily briefs about threats around the world but no longer have access. Gallagher also said the drawn-out election for speaker has prevented him from meeting with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs in the facility.

“I’m informed by House Security that, technically, I don’t have a clearance,” Gallagher said. “I’m a member of the Intel Committee, I’m on the Armed Services Committee, and I can’t meet in the SCIF to conduct essential business.”

Rep.-elect Derrick Van Orden said: “We’re trying to make sure that we can do the people’s will, and a minority of our party has decided that they want to continue with this obstructionism. And it’s actually becoming detrimental to our nation.”

Team McCarthy decided to let everyone have the rest of the night to cool off, think about the latest concessions, and come back and try again Thursday morning. It’s the right thing to do, since his headache is only just beginning, should he eventually get enough votes to become Speaker. He will have to herd his cats in order to deal with a rules package, an upcoming debt ceiling hike, not to mention actual policy proposals. The full House GOP is going to have long memories about this week, but they have to come together and figure out how to govern, or they won’t be in this position in 2025, and won’t be again for a long time.

As for the substance of the possible negotiated breakthrough between the CLF and Club For Growth, it does give the hard right in the GOP base something it’s sought for a long time – an even chance to send more like-minded conservatives to the House without running into a money atmospheric river from an establishment superPAC. On the downside? Remember that Operation Chaos bit? A bunch of candidates won in Republican primaries, some with Democratic crossover votes, but ended up not winning in November because they violated the Bill Buckley rule that says give me the most conservative person possible that can actually win in a general. The gateway to unelectable Republicans would potentially be wide open now in 2024 and beyond.

Going into the Wednesday evening, after the news of the Club For Growth endorsement for McCarthy, Chip Roy and Scott Perry both sounded like they were beginning to look for the trunk of the tree to hold onto instead of being out there on the limb with the other holdouts. Dan Bishop has also kept a path off the ledge in comments Wednesday. Even Never Kevin stalwart Ralph Norman, if you parse what he said later in the day, gave himself some wiggle room. He said, “I don’t care who endorses McCarthy. Us 20 want changes. And we’re gonna stay here until we get it or something happens.” Well, the Club For Growth and Conservative Leadership Fund gave him the change he’s said he wanted. So either they will all find a way to declare victory and end this, or the goal posts will continue to move, and we’ll be here for a long time, bleeding out as a serious party.

By the way, when McCarthy held the vote to end the House session for the day, it passed by one vote. All Democrats and four Republicans wanted to stay tonight and bask in the excrement show a little longer. The four Republicans? Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs, and Eli Crane. The rest at least had the political acumen to stick their finger into the wind and saw that the wind might have just changed, and to sleep on it tonight.

My best guess based on reading the tea leaves and hearing what little inside banter to which I’m privy? It will probably take another vote or two, but if the first vote Thursday reveals any cracks in the wall of 20, with some coming home to McCarthy, Matt Gaetz and Andy Biggs are going to be very, very lonely Congresscritters by Thursday afternoon. This has to end.