Hey, this is Mary Harris, the host of What Next?

If you are one of the folks who has just found this show through Spotify,

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morning with a new episode for you. One more thing. You can feel free to let us know

what you think by leaving us a rating. Thanks. For as long as he's covered Congress,

Slaith Jim Newell says the day-to-day proceedings have been a kind of choreographed dance.

Bills come up in an orderly fashion, and usually only when they've got enough votes to pass.

The speaker rules the chamber like a strong-armed Den mother.

But it is now clear, after a brutal fight

to simply get the 118th Congress started.

That is not going to be what Kevin McCarthy's Congress looks like.

I mean, I had thought, you know, in the weeks and months ahead

as he was trying to get these stragglers to vote for him

i thought

you know he'll figure it out by january third because we'd be humiliating to have to go through

multiple ballots on the floor. Apparently, yeah.

Humilliating didn't seem to be a concern when it came to electing

Republican leadership. In the end it took 15 votes to get

Kevin McCarthy elected Speaker of the House.

It's not the kind of history Republicans were hoping to make.

...