Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan got it exactly right in his speech re-nominating Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the House ahead of the second ballot Tuesday afternoon: The voters gave the Republican majority a clear mandate, and honoring that should be the top priority of every GOP member.

“To my friends here on this side of the aisle, I would just say this. The differences we may have . . . pale in comparison to the differences between us and the left, which now unfortunately controls the other party,” the Ohioan thundered. “So we had better come together and fight for these key things.”

Those three key things: 1) Pass bills that fix the nation’s most urgent problems, from the open border to insane energy policies; 2) Ensure that nothing like the recent $1.7 trillion “omnibus” monstrosity, rammed through in a virtually blind vote, ever hits the floor again; and 3) Do the vital work of real oversight and investigation of the disastrous Biden administration.

Amen.

The 19 GOP holdouts effectively endorsed that agenda by uniting around Jordan in the next ballot — conceding his point while missing it completely.

Jordan doesn’t want the job, and likely would win fewer votes than McCarthy. Another much-touted alternative, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), nominated McCarthy on the next round — whereupon the holdouts nominated Jordan again, even repeating his points on the omnibus mess. Jordan took the high road; the saboteurs refused to join him.

Yesterday we urged the rebels to grow up. They failed to heed our request, just as they failed to heed Jordan’s wisdom. And for what? Not for the country. Not for the voters. For their own petty ends.