I am hoping — praying, actually — that you agree to be the speaker of the House. Anyone who has been a dad knows the Saturday morning pull that weighs on you, but the team can figure out how to make the job work for you and not you for the job. Leader McCarthy remains an effective and prodigious organizer and fundraiser. Your long-time friends will take the crazy stuff off your shoulders. You can help lead a country desperately in need of leadership.

The “hard core” of the Freedom Caucus cannot number more than 20, if that. You can dictate terms. But more than that, you can use this period to rally and unify the caucus around a sense of shared purpose and real urgency.