[Psalm 144]

“Now serving as House majority whip, McCarthy has been cultivating close relationships with the rank and file for years and claimed by Thursday to have gathered the backing of more than half the conference.”

I would think whips would be like commissars - deferred to, humored and hated by most.

[tanknetter]

I would think whips would be like commissars - deferred to, humored and hated by most.

That's the way it used to be. Social media/new media, increased transparency and the ability to rapidly gin up significant grassroots support in specific districts make that sort of thing largely impossible. The Representative who caves into leadership gets hit TWICE: once on taking the wrong position and then on allowing himself to be bullied.

Flattering and cajoling Members into voting party-line works much better.