Last week, Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL), along with seven GOP colleagues, effectively blew up the Republicans’ slim but hard-won House majority.

Gaetz and crew ousted their own leader, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Hiding behind lofty platitudes about conservative principles, they took action that was not remotely conservative. They dumped their boss because they don’t like him and because they had the power to do so; and they did it with no evident concern about consequences to the Congress and the nation, and no idea what to do next.

In truth, McCarthy’s ouster was a Democrat action, not a Republican one, with 100% of House Democrats voting in favor and 96% of House Republicans voting against. But Gaetz was the ringleader; he made it all possible by delivering enough GOP votes to tip the scales. Democrats, thrilled at their early Christmas gift, participated enthusiastically and then cheered the suicide mission.

Evidently, Gaetz is one of those politicians who defines success as showing everyone just how angry he is; he breaks things with no idea how to put them back together. That’s the behavior we’ve learned to expect from righteous protesters who smash storefront windows (somebody else’s) and set cars on fire (preferably police cars), so everyone knows how enraged they are about whatever it is they’re protesting, before they amble on and let others deal with the consequences.

Sadly, there’s nothing new about politicians more willing to vent their anger than to find constructive solutions. One obvious example is Donald Trump, who has no compunctions about visiting his personal fury on anyone who happens to be in his way.

An even better example is the hordes of Trump enemies who have made a cottage industry out of fighting rage with rage — endless resistance, two specious impeachments (the second one nonsensically dictating a U.S. Senate vote on whether to expel someone from office who no longer holds that office), and then the blizzard of civil actions and criminal indictments.

The counterproductive cycle of Trump’s rage vs. his opponents’ rage, each amplifying the other, has accomplished nothing. It kept our nation from making real progress during the Trump administration, it polarized Americans, and it has led to today’s bizarre circumstance in which a defendant charged with multiple serious crimes — conviction that would result in hundreds of years of prison terms — is currently the GOP’s leading presidential candidate.

The Gaetz revolt pretends to have more noble justification, but that’s a smoke screen. Like much of the two-way Trump conflict, it was driven by personal and political enmity. And its consequences, both for the GOP and the nation as a whole, are no less serious.

In deposing its own leader with Democrat help, the GOP undermined its ability to exercise majority leadership, effectively shifting the House balance of power. In visible disarray, Republicans have damaged their prospects in the all-important 2024 elections and lost any credible claim to be the adults in the room, the ones who can get things done — attributes America sorely needs.

Reality check for Gaetz, his passionate conservatives, and anyone else who wants to jump-start real change: Whether your objective is wholesale transformation, turning America into a solidly conservative nation (sounds good to me) — or if it is simply to get our ship of state back on an even keel and eschew the craziness of open borders, transgenderism, etc. — you must first do the heavy lifting needed to put in place a workable majority in both chambers of Congress. Matt Gaetz just made it much more difficult for his conservative allies to do that.

And most importantly, there is our vital need right now for a government hitting on all cylinders, Of course, there’s never a good time to emasculate the U.S. Congress, but Gaetz’s timing on this fiasco couldn’t be worse.

The world is becoming an ever-more dangerous place, ever-more quickly. The Ukraine situation is worsening, and Russia is nuclear saber-rattling once again. And we are suddenly faced with a brand new, potentially catastrophic Middle East war, triggered by a massive, multi-dimensional Hamas attack on neighboring Israel. We understand now that Hamas, backed up by Iran (happily flush with the $6 billion we just spent to buy back a few hostages), has reportedly taken hundreds of Israeli hostages.

The Israel-Hamas war could easily expand from a regional conflict to a disastrous global one. Meanwhile, here we are at home, absorbed in wholly unnecessary political games. It’s funny how world events tend to intrude on our politicians’ playgrounds.

Elected members of Congress — both parties — must get to work. The House must elect a speaker now; we have no time for another 15-round drama. Mr. Gaetz, your anger has been duly noted. Now step aside (or, preferably, go away) while we clean up your mess and get back to the nation’s business.