Embarrassed? Not on your life! By Ron Burtz Led by President Joe Biden, many critics on the left characterized last week's chaotic congressional cage match to elect a new Republican Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives as an embarrassment. When 20 conservative GOP rebels (I'm going to refer to them henceforth as the “Heroic 20”) refused to vote in favor of Trump-anointed Kevin McCarthy of California as speaker, the usually speedy, rubber-stamp process of selecting a speaker from the majority party ground to a halt and eventually took four days and 15 separate votes. When the dust settled late Friday night, McCarthy was indeed the winner, but by all accounts he and the country will be better off for the arduous path he had to take to get there. Far from being embarrassed, I've never been more proud of some members of congress than I am right now. I wholeheartedly agree with Fox News host Tucker Carson who said on his Tuesday night broadcast, “It is embarrassing if you prefer the Soviet style consensus of the Democratic Party’s internal elections...but if you prefer democracy to oligarchy...it’s pretty refreshing to see it.” And as pundit Rob Smith said on Twitter, the things that make Republicans look bad are “slobbering over (Ukrainian president) Zelensky...(and) helping Dems pass a trillion-dollar pork bill.” He went on to say “Having Congress members with the guts to stand up against the failing status quo,” definitely does not make Republicans look bad. Responding as well to the president's condescending embarrassment, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R- Colo.), who was one of the Heroic 20, said in a written statement after the deciding vote, “How sad is it that us governing as the founders intended looks embarrassing to Democrats?” Far from being an inconvenience or an embarrassment, what happened in the nation's capital last week was a fight that needed to happen which resulted in a resounding victory for the American people who weary of our representatives in Washington acting like we work for them instead of the other way around. Here are three reasons why I say that: 1. For four days last week congress actually did what it was supposed to do. As BLAZE TV host Chad Prather, asked, “Is this the most work these house reps have ever done?” Indeed, for four days last week the House of Representatives was abuzz with activity and debate. For once, those giving speeches on the floor were actually speaking to their colleagues rather than talking to an empty room, seen only by whoever happened to be watching on C-SPAN. As usual the Babylon Bee hit the nail on the head with it's snarky Friday headline, “Nation In Shock As Politicians Show Up To Work 4 Days In A Row.” 2. The Uniparty cabal in D.C. has taken a major hit. One of the leaders of the Heroic 20, conservative firebrand Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, took to the floor of the House early in the process and gave a passionate speech in nomination of fellow patriot Jim Jordan of Ohio. “There should only be a deal if it's a deal worth doing for the American people,” said Roy. “This is not personal...This is about the future of the country...(the) American people are looking at this body and asking why we can pass $1.7 trillion bills that are unpaid for...People ask me 'what do you want?' I want the tools or I want the leadership to stop the Swamp from running over the average American every single day. We can't keep doing this. I'm gonna sit here until we figure out how to stop spending money we don't have. I don't want any more empty promises.” McCarthy, a consummate Washington insider, has been characterized by many on the right as having been all too willing to comprise with the left in typical D.C. uniparty fashion instead of fighting for the American taxpayers and punishing political opponents who never stop pushing the country to the left. Commentator Dinesh D'Souza called McCarthy “a frat boy in a combat zone.” “At best,” said D'Souza, “he's like the Union General McClellan who put on an impressive show of assembling the troops, but always preferred not to fight. The GOP base is looking for a Grant or Sherman right now.” Another member of the 20, Rep. Bob Good (R-VA) tweeted: “If McCarthy had fought as hard for the American people over the last two years as he has for the speakership, we would be having a very different discussion right now.” Joel Abbott, writing for the Not The Bee website, said, “People are loving the deadlock in Congress around the Speaker of the House right now. We want government to stall. We want it to fail. We want the whole dang bloated machine to grind to a halt so that the corruption and the anti-human wokeism that has infected both parties can be burned out.” 3. It appears the way the House works will be changed significantly going forward. (And that's an extremely good thing, because the House may actually operate more like the founders envisioned.) “House Conservatives delivered a massive victory for the American people by fundamentally changing the way Congress will operate,” said Boebert. “We changed the way bills will be passed. We changed the way government will be funded. We changed the way committees will be formed. We secured votes on term limits, the fair tax, the Texas Border Plan and so much more.” In a speech given after his swearing in during the wee hours of Saturday morning, McCarthy, himself, said: “Speaking of committees, we will hold the swamp accountable, from the withdrawal of Afghanistan, to the origins of Covid and to the weaponization of the FBI. Let me be very clear. We will use the power of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.” He also stated that the House would defund the plan to add 87,000 new IRS agents passed last year. A statement released by Citizens for Renewing America stated, “Because of the 20 brave conservatives, the DC cartel in the House was brought to its knees before the American people. This is the new paradigm-coalition government. Conservatives now control the House regardless of who is elected Speaker” How did the Heroic 20 accomplish this amazing and historic victory? Trump attorney Jenna Ellis said sources told her it was due to concessions made by McCarthy which means he would need a majority of 218 votes to keep his job as speaker. “If McCarthy does anything outside his promises,” wrote Ellis, “they will vote not to retain and he's gone...Bottom line: With this rules package, the 20 have achieved an historic accountability oversight and check on leadership and the speaker's power. I would consider this a total win for (Rep. Matt) Gaetz & Co., the MAGA movement and therefore America.” Let's hope and pray it's true.