“Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.” —Advice from Sam Rayburn to Lyndon Johnson

In August 2023, Representative Mike Johnson from Louisiana became the 56th speaker of the House of Representatives after the swift and ignominious ouster of Kevin McCarthy by the shambolic House Republicans. McCarthy, who took 15 rounds of votes to win the speakership, served for a turbulent and scant seven months, all under a sword of Damocles.