In 2008, as the nation faced a catastrophic financial crisis, the House did what it sometimes does — veered off the rails.
It was the steadier Senate that had to step in and take over, find a way to approve the legislation and show the House how it was done.
When the unruly House, with its treacherous two-year election cycle, melts down, the Senate is expected to step up, providing the adult supervision needed in the legislative world.
The august Senate — at least on the Republican side — is becoming more like its chaotic counterpart across the Rotunda every day.
The Senate Republican Conference, as it is known, is more publicly divided and feuding than at any time in recent memory, a rare development for a group led by Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, who has always taken great pains to conceal internal disputes.
Persons:
Mitch McConnell, McConnell
Organizations:
Senate, Republican, Republican Conference
Locations:
Washington, Kentucky