Now that the debt ceiling has been raised and all the smoke has cleared, it's worthwhile to step back and assess the political fallout from the first major test of Kevin McCarthy's speakership. I certainly didn't think it would end with a whimper, not a bang, but that's exactly what happened.
Considering how nuts the MAGA Republicans are, and how much clout the House Freedom Caucus holds, it was fair for most of us to assume they would hold McCarthy hostage if he capitulated on any of their demands. After all, that was the whole point of the speakership battle back in January: They wanted the ability to dictate what bills would be voted out of the rules committee and come to the floor. And they guaranteed that by loading the committee with Freedom Caucus members and demanding that any one member could file a motion to vacate the Speaker's chair and require Kevin McCarthy to endure another election.
