Of all the things that happen in Washington, D.C., one of the least dramatic is the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. At least for the last century, that is. This year, for the first time since 1923, that election took more than one ballot. The 15 ballots it took to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) grabbed attention, but the sound and fury kept many from understanding what the fuss was really all about.