Republicans chose Jim Jordan to lead their coming House minority and kept John Thune as their Senate leader Tuesday, a week after losing both congressional majorities. The election delivered a performance review. House Republicans promoted the guy most likely to interrupt HR.

Jordan, a combative Trump ally, beat Steve Scalise for the job. Mike Johnson didn’t run. So the House gets a new leader and the country gets the exciting possibility of being argued with at greater volume.

Who looks at an election defeat and decides the missing ingredient was more Jim Jordan? Who? It’s like getting thrown out of a hotel and returning with a megaphone to explain that you are an excellent guest.

The complaint was about the fucking noise. Putting it on a lanyard doesn’t make it customer service.

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Thune offers a less combustible approach; Reuters describes him as a consensus builder. Senate Republicans chose him by acclamation. Fair enough. Somebody has to remain calm enough to locate the brakes.

Because Republicans will still have ways to stop Democrats: the Senate’s 60-vote hurdle for most legislation, plus Trump’s veto. The incoming Democratic majorities aren’t large enough to override him on their own.

Right. Fine. Losing an election doesn’t require a party to dissolve itself. I can accept that. I’m going to take one reasonably peaceful breath.

But then—Jesus Christ—they still get to block things, and the House’s big personnel decision is to put its combativeness in charge of the smaller room.

They lost the steering wheel, kept access to the brakes, and promoted the horn.