McCarthy calculated that once he got into the speakership, he would be able to placate his skeptics through various symbolic measures, populist messaging, his alliance with Donald Trump, and moves such as opening up the impeachment inquiry against Joe Biden. For awhile, his strategy seemed to be working as well as it could given the small majority, and I thought I might have to eat my words. But he could only keep up the high-wire act for so long.

Now, a few Republicans have plunged the House into disorder. It’s unclear how McCarthy could win another speaker vote at this point and it’s also unclear who could thread the needle any better than he did. As of this writing, there is no clear path forward, and it’s hard to conceive of given that we are not dealing with rational actors.

Democrats, who did not lift a finger to rescue McCarthy, are enjoying the chaos on the other side. But they may come to regret their move. At the end of the day, McCarthy was willing to cut deals, because he didn’t want to see the debt ceiling breached or the government shut down. That may not be the case with whoever replaces him.

[The chaos suits them well enough for now. It makes Joe Biden look like the adult in the room, and you can bet that the mainstream media will play up that narrative as long as possible. But yes, there will be no room for deals if the fringe continues to seize up the House, and until the threshold on the MTV gets raised to 50 again, they will keep doing this anytime one seems near. — Ed]