From the editorial board of The Washington Post:
No matter the circumstance, nobody should accept the speakership without more job security than Mr. McCarthy had. To become speaker in the first place, he courted the right fringe by agreeing to amend the “motion to vacate” rule so that any one member could force the chamber to consider firing him. Whoever comes next should insist that the bar be much higher. The last time House ultraconservatives foiled Mr. McCarthy’s ambitions, during the 2015 speaker’s race, then-Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) set conditions on agreeing to take the gavel after Mr. McCarthy’s bid fell flat among the ultras.
Getting at least that much right is not some arcane matter but a national necessity. The House GOP’s next leader will immediately face negotiations with the White House and the Democratic-controlled Senate on funding the government, with a shutdown as the price of failure. If the next speaker is not at least marginally more empowered, as opposed to constantly fearful of another ouster attempt driven by online activists or conservative media personalities, the chaos will continue.
