GOP Leadership Disruption Is Not Proof of Party Dysfunction

The seismic disruptions in the leadership structure of the House of Representatives have invited pundits, eager to declare dysfunction, to pounce on the perceived chaos, civil war, or even all-out anarchy in the Republican Party.

Wishful thinking aside, though, the recent changes are actually an extremely good sign for the party in the long run. They will help Republicans emerge from a period of stagnation into an era of more principled, more representative government.

The past five years have been marked by widespread disappointment in the ability of Republicans to follow through on their campaign promises. The list of grievances aired by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., in his resolution calling for an end to House Speaker John Boehner’s tenure encapsulates many of these complaints.

A leadership that punishes its own members, doesn’t allow adequate time to read bills and forces phony crisis after phony crisis to expand the size and scope of government is not exactly inspiring, and it’s certainly not what people thought they were voting for when they gave Republicans control of Congress.

That leadership has now been put on notice.