Relax. It's meaningless.

“You can’t accommodate a small group that essentially has you hostage, and that’s what’s going on here — we’re not going to do it,” says McCarthy booster Don Bacon. Sure you can. This isn’t the papacy. Is there no other conservative in the House with some basic aptitude who can bring together the party? McCarthy can go back to being a plain-old congressman or head for the lobbying job, and the country would remain exactly as he found it. McCarthy is certainly as good as anyone else in Congress. But also, he is only as good as almost anyone else in Congress.

That said, what is the point? Not much that I can see. Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert have no competing legislative agenda to offer, much less any coherent philosophical positions. McCarthy has gone out of his way to placate the nuts in his party. Why any sane person would want the job of dealing with Paul Gosar or Marjorie Taylor Greene is beyond my comprehension.

Others among the 20 holding up the coronation probably have some personal gripes against McCarthy — which is a completely legitimate reason to oppose electing him boss, by the way. Others are intent to fight the “establishment” for its own sake, which is a vacuous and nonsensical position. Someone is going to be in charge. McCarthy isn’t Fred Upton. And if you’re constantly opposing that person because you can’t do everything you want, you will get nothing. Though this seems to be a state in which many Republicans seem quite content.