To which I feel moved to reply: Bollocks. For the sake of the new majority, now is precisely the time for squabbling over the shape and direction of the caucus — though Mr. Ryan should seriously rethink his talking points.

With a large freshman class on its way and the Democratic Party in the midst of a roaring debate about its core values, there will, of course, be clashes about who will have what kind of influence in the caucus, and which voices will lead the way. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the member-elect representing parts of the Bronx and Queens, does not share the political style or the priorities of Representative Conor Lamb, who was first elected in a special election in March from a decidedly Trumpy corner of Pennsylvania. Many incoming Democrats ran on the promise of disrupting the status quo. And there’s a wide range of views about the degree to which the party should try to work with President Trump on issues of shared interest versus pursuing a path of total resistance. Members old and new need to air their grievances, hash out their differences and set a course for how the team can better function over the next two sure-to-be-bonkers years.

Few would deny that the Democratic caucus is overdue for an overhaul. As has been noted repeatedly, it has a hard-earned reputation as a dead end for talented up-and-comers. The senior leadership team is stagnant, having kept a death grip on the top trio of jobs for the better part of a decade. (With 15 years at the top, Ms. Pelosi is the second-longest serving Democratic leader ever.) Committee chairmanships are doled out based heavily on seniority, and, once ensconced, chairmen are tougher to root out than kudzu. This system deprives younger members of the opportunity for growth and, worse still, deprives the entire party of a much-needed pipeline of talent. Republicans have been aggressively working to address this problem for years — for instance, by term-limiting their committee chairmen — and many Democratic members look longingly across at the aisle at what they’ve accomplished.

Other types of reform are being sought as well. A bipartisan gaggle known as the Problem Solvers Caucus has put together a slate of rule changes aimed at empowering rank-and-file members and cutting down on gridlock. Nine Democrats in the group have threatened to withhold their support from Ms. Pelosi unless she embraces their platform.

All of these ideas, and more, should be worked through while the caucus is getting organized and hammering out the rules of engagement for the coming Congress. While some will argue that it is risky, or even wrong, for members to leverage their votes for speaker to get concerns taken seriously, the reality is that this is how the game is played.