Three vulnerable House Republicans—Reps. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, Will Hurd of Texas and Jeff Denham of California—have attracted attention by challenging their party’s leadership. They’re trying to get 218 signatures from colleagues of both parties to force a series of votes on immigration bills. Most of the discussion about this strategy has focused on arcane procedures, missing the essential point: Self-government requires majority rule.
There are currently 429 representatives in the House—236 Republicans, 193 Democrats...