Ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich says he could 'afford to have five or six people be idiots' during standoffs in the 1990s, a contrast to the numerous GOP hardliners creating challenges for McCarthy

• Newt Gingrich recently told Politico of the difference between the '90s-era House GOP and today's slim majority.
• The ex-speaker said he could "afford to have five or six people be idiots" in the face of a shutdown.
• Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Saturday muscled through a stopgap bill with mostly Democratic support.

The dynamics of what has fueled recent gridlock on Capitol Hill can be boiled down to numbers.