One difference between the protracted coups of 1997 and 2013 was that in 1997 the coup-plotters actually managed to get Newt’s votes below 218 (he was reelected with 216—abstentions and “present” votes lowered the denominator and thus the minimum required) while Boehner got 220 (with 214 required).
Impy, you mentioned “3 GOP absent including Boehner himself,” but I think that there were at least 4 Republican seats that either were vacant or its member didn’t vote. Boehner didn’t vote, Mulvaney and Labrador stayed silent when their names were called, and there was one vacancy: Tim Scott had resigned from the House the prior day (sometime after voting against the tax deal) to accept his appointment to the Senate.
Yes that doesn’t count the vacant seats just people who are current members listed as “not voting”.
Odd that Boehner didn’t vote, Newt didn’t vote in 1997 either.