The eight Republicans responsible for this debacle are Gaetz, Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Bob Good of Virginia, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Ken Buck of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

Where does the House go from here? It is not clear how a new Speaker can be elected. No Republican except McCarthy can come close to winning a majority. Maybe the dissidents will declare “victory” and vote to reinstate McCarthy. Maybe the House will be leaderless for a considerable time (Rep. Patrick McHenry will take over as acting Speaker). Or maybe the Democrats will take control of the chamber.

Once again, Republicans with no plan and no strategy for success have given the Democrats a badly-needed win.