So... Still short?
Pity that.
I think at this point it's clear that McCarthy will eventually peel off a couple more and get to 218. The question is, what concessions will he have to make in order to get that.
And that's ultimately why this is still a victory for the Freedom Caucus, because these would be concessions from a Speaker McCarthy that they didn't have before. Promises for this/that in exchange for their support
It's an ugly DC game, the wheeling and dealing, but politics is an ugly thing, nothing new there.
What irked me the most were the comments from people like Crenshaw calling these holdouts "terrorists"... since when is negotiating for a better deal an act of terrorism? That's all they do in DC, and he's acting "shocked, SHOCKED" that some Republicans are negotiating for a better deal. Well, I guess maybe that would be shocking for the "bend over" RINO caucus who had a hard time negotiating with the Democrats over the years, so I'll give 'em that. Seeing people with backbones might actually be a little scary to them to the point they feel terrorized. :) Poor little Crenshaw... he's seen some real action and good on him for that, but he's afraid of Republicans showing some gumption for once.