But the payroll tax cut deal this week has delivered a shock to that culture of “no” — and more Republicans are suddenly saying “yes” to the idea that it’s OK to fold a losing hand, shuffle the deck and play for a bigger pot later. Most of those who will vote “no” on the payroll package aren’t yelling “hell no” in closed-door meetings or whipping their colleagues to join them in opposition to the Republican leadership. They will quietly consent to letting the bill become law without a bloody civil war.

“We’re picking our battles — that’s the sense I get. There are some things that are good battles for us to have, and some that aren’t the best for us,” said freshman Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.), who hasn’t yet decided how he will vote on the bill. “We can stop a lot of stuff. If we want to be the ones to stop this and make sure it doesn’t happen, we could. Is that what we want to do? Is that what we want to be known for?”

Simply put: The GOP majority is showing signs of growing up. It’s learning how to cut political losses and taking the long view on policy fights that started before the freshman newbies showed up last January.