Rather than continue to battle with the relatively new House “Freedom Caucus,” John Boehner decided to announce the end of his tenure as Speaker, leaving the door open for somebody else to take the reins. Kevin McCarthy, thought by many to be a certain successor, dropped out, citing an inability to win on the House floor. A few tested the waters before a panicked mass tried pushing the job on once-conservative hero Paul Ryan. The conservative right rebelled, and it’s not clear at this point if he’ll consider running for the largely thankless job.

How we got to this point, strangely, has its roots in the breakdown of appropriations bills and “regular order.”