“Solutions to problems cannot be found in a pool of bitterness.” So proclaimed John Dennis “Denny” Hastert upon his swearing in as the 59th Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1999.

Hastert was pledging to look for bipartisan solutions, but it had special meaning for rank-and-file Republicans in the House. As a means of avoiding ruinous bitterness, Hastert vowed never to bring a bill up for a floor vote unless it had the support of the “majority of the majority.”