After their party was decimated in the 2008 elections, mainstream Republican leaders believed they could harness rising far-right populist forces. Instead, they were overrun by them.
The new House speaker is facing complaints from his members that his leadership is no different from his predecessor’s. His style, however, is in stark contrast.
Irate over a bipartisan measure to prevent a government shutdown, far-right Republicans blocked a separate spending bill, forcing the House to leave for Thanksgiving without finishing its work.