local election workers, in 2020, he was harassed and threatened, as he did his job faithfully. he did not bend. he did not bow. he did not yield to the plim threats and pressure. political threats and pressure. he was so trusted by both political parties, that the new democratic governor of pennsylvania, josh shapiro, appointed him as pennsylvania s secretary of state, a republican who ensured the integrity of the elections. that s a high compliment. [ applause ] his character and his commitment speak volumes of we the people. that s what we are also seeing in benson. twice elected jocelyn benson, twice elected in michigan to protect the sacred right to vote and have that vote counted fairly. that s what she did in 202. when she oversaw a record number of michiganders turn out to vote in that election. finding an armed mob, an armed mob outside of her home on christmas eve, which she and her son were decorating their christmas tree inside. but she refused to back down
brendan knows well and has explained at length the way the rules committee functions as a stopgap committee before things go to the house floor. that is really important. just in terms of the way the place functions, i think it is important to note that kevin mccarthy has the same margin that nancy pelosi lass had over the course of the last few years, and you talk to democrats who credit her for having the acumen of knowing her caucus, knowing how to count votes before she gets to the floor, and certainly that wasn t the calculus here, and it gives us a sense of how this is going to go forward. i don t think anyone in this house had an expectation, hallie, that we re about to go into a real period of activity and things getting passed. we re in a period of divided government. but certainly this is instructive for those of us who cover this place and for americans who see what it does, it will be a rocky two years. ali, stand by for us if you will. steve kornacki, let me go back to y