Watching Rep. Kevin McCarthy try to muster up 218 people who want him to be speaker of the House—and he would sell his gray-haired granny to Somali pirates to get the gig—is some pretty boring horse-race stuff, truth be told. McCarthy is a dim, pale fellow whose every move is transparent and predictable.

The real value in following the story is the very clear look we’re getting at how the inmates are going to run the asylum, no matter who is putatively in charge. For example, in New York this weekend, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke to the Young Republicans of New York. MTG is perhaps McCarthy’s most important ally in his quest, as well as a human bridge to Krazyville. This is important to remember when considering what she told the larval wingnuts in their tuxedos.

Read the rest of Charlie Pierce’s piece at Esquire Politics