Tea Party radicals seeking to oust the TanMan, John Boehner, as Weeper of the House needed 29 votes to force a second vote for leadership, a vote they were likely to lose.
In the end the Tea Party radicals managed 24 “no” votes and one member voting “present.” The TanMan survives the Tea Party temper tantrum. Boehner reelected as House speaker.
Still, this was the biggest speaker revolt since 1923:
The last time that an election for speaker even went to a second ballot was 92 years ago — in 1923 — when Frederick H. Gillett (R-Mass.) required nine ballots to win reelection as speaker, according to the Congressional Research Service. That was the only speaker election in the past century for which multiple ballots were even needed. And Gillett wound up winning.
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The defections Tuesday appear as though they could be more significant than at any point since 1923 . . .
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Unlike 1923, the opposition today is hardly united, and the alternatives to Boehner who have stepped forward — Reps. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) and Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) — are hardly the type who will harness widespread support.
There’s an understatement if I’ve ever seen one.