Worst. Leaders. Ever.

Worst. Leaders. Ever.

Republican Reps. Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota separately stood up at a GOP meeting Wednesday and confronted their leadership about its bumbling legislative strategy and inability to figure out a way forward on the massive legislation, according to multiple sources at the meeting. Noem, who once served in Republican leadership, took aim squarely at Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). She reminded him that he controls the House floor, and she drilled Cantor hard on his precise plans to mop up the mess, several Republicans who attended the meeting said. Cantor wasn’t able to outline a plan that satisfied Noem, and he blamed Democrats for the bill’s defeat. Noem—usually a quiet figure in GOP circles—also warned the 61 Republicans who opposed the farm bill after voting for tougher work requirements for food-stamp recipients that she will not be supporting them in the future. Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and other lawmakers were later heard on the floor backing Noem in her heated dispute with Cantor. Cramer, a first-term lawmaker, read aloud an editorial to his colleagues from a North Dakota newspaper, arguing that failing to pass a farm bill could end his brief congressional career. In an interview with POLITICO, Cramer said Republicans — especially committee chairmen — who voted against the farm bill are “jeopardizing the whole majority.”

Last week's Farm Bill fiasco confirmed for any lingering doubters that the House Republican caucus is in chaos. This is drama that has been ongoing since last year, when the House also failed to pass a Farm Bill, an unprecedented failure. That failure has farm state representatives at the end of their rope Cantor is now considering a plan to split the bill up, removing the nutrition titles and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamp) funding to try to make his farm state folks happy. The problem with doing that is then dealing with the Senate in conference, which has the traditional combined Farm Bill. Potentially, the chambers could go to conference with whatever the vehicle the House can manage to scrap together and fix it there. But there's no guarantees that any bill that doesn't slash SNAP to the marrow will pass the House, and certainly no chance that a House-approved bill that does starve SNAP would make it through the Senate.

Good job, Boehner and Cantor. You've succeeded in becoming the worst House leadership team of all time. Can't wait to see what they manage to screw up on immigration.