The prognostications regarding Kevin McCarthy’s new speakership have been so overwhelmingly bleak, it seemed worth trying to find one that wasn’t. That might sound like willful blindness, but I disagree as long as the thinking is founded in reason. Today’s link, written by The National Review’s editorial board, fits that bill in a number of ways.

For one thing, the board fully acknowledges the challenges ahead for Congress. Yet it still sees areas where the body can do some good. As previous featured columns have noted, a weakened speaker (which McCarthy no doubt is) means strengthened individual representatives. Since these reps are — at least in theory — better attuned to their constituents’ wishes, they can draft more tailored, and thus impactful, legislation. The board also sees a silver lining in one Freedom Caucus member’s seating on the Rules Committee. Surprising as that may sound to some, The National Review believes there is merit to some of Chip Roy’s suggested fixes for the chamber. Maybe the fixes will work, maybe they won’t. But if Roy’s a serious representative looking to make meaningful change, they should be a good thing.

None of this is to say concern isn’t warranted. Talking to the press after he clinched the speakership, McCarthy thanked Donald Trump for getting him over the line. I’d prefer we didn’t have a speaker who felt indebted to someone so deeply disinterested in the peaceful transfer of power. And I’d prefer he hadn’t given unserious, problematic characters like Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert more bargaining power. But having concerns doesn’t require banishing hope. We’re barely a few days into the new Congress. Maybe we can wait a few more before writing it off.