From Esquire

The Hill has turned from a reliable Capitol Hill tip-sheet into a clickbait farm of the highest order, but it's also still well-wired into what's going on in the national legislature. So, on Thursday, it was no surprise to find that it was The Hill that sent the feline screeching from the burlap.

[Rep. Tom] Reed, co-chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said the growing frustration with gridlock, polarization and a top-heavy leadership approach in Congress are the reasons why several members in his party are willing to supply Pelosi with some Speaker votes in exchange for extracting an overhaul of the House rules.

“I would be willing, as a Republican on the floor of the House, to support a Speaker candidate, including Nancy Pelosi, who supports these rule reforms,” Reed said at an event for The Hill sponsored by American University's School of Public Affairs and the Kennedy Political Union.

“There are other members that are as committed as I am to this on the Republican side that are willing to do that. But I’ll let them address it individually,” he added.

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Nancy Pelosi, who did not arrive at the Capitol Thursday morning on a turnip truck, was ready for this shell game.

But at a jam-packed press conference at the Capitol on Thursday, Pelosi said she has the votes, right now, to win the gavel on the floor with only Democratic support. And she said she would refuse any offers of help from the Republicans.

“Oh, please,” she said. “No, never.”

“I intend to win the Speakership with Democratic votes,” she said.

There are two things to remember as we go forward. First, there is absolutely no reason for Democratic congresscritters to assume good faith on any subject on the part of their Republican colleagues. Second, the most notable thing about the Problem Solvers Caucus is that it never has solved a single problem.

Now, as the results of their catastrophic midterm elections continue to roll in-for Democrats, this has been like a political advent calendar, every day a new treat-we hear from PSC Republicans (and their feckless Democratic allies) about how imperative it is to "reform" the processes of the House. But Pelosi remains smarter than they are, and she has a formidable ally in Congressman James McGovern-Worcester, represent!-the incoming chairman of the House Rules Committee. They will determine what reforms, if any, go into effect, and they don't need any help from Republicans who are currently swimming away from a listing, burning hulk.

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