This seems to me to be a leadership moment for Hakeem Jeffries.

He calls some respected, moderate, organized, established, across-the-aisle Republican Congressman/woman and says: overnight, I could corral thirty Democratic votes for you as Speaker.

He says: My conditions are bipartisanship, compromise, old-fashioned horse trading. We spend the next two years wrangling BUT we move the ball forward.

The middle 75% of the electorate -- the part composed of mature grownups, who are beyond sick of this nonsense -- will be relieved. You will be reelected.

And our allies will exhale.

And our country will be better than it is now. Because, you know, the legislative branch would actually be doing its job for the first time in far too long.

Would the GOP reflexively cut off such a "traitor"? The current GOP lockstep members would try. But were I (ha!) the R congressman that Jeffries called, I'd stake my political career on the current frustration being enough to tip the scales for enough to follow me.

Likewise, there would be gnashing of teeth on the far left.

It would depend on Jeffries not being greedy, at all.

--sutton
not a Congressman, thankyouverymuch