Republican Venality

“McConnell caved,” @SenWarren says, declaring victory over @LeaderMcConnell and GOP on raising debt limit. https://t.co/AdK9xIeF0j

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) October 6, 2021

Democrats are ready to be the grownups in the room on the debt ceiling. We just need the Republicans to get out of our way, stop filibustering this, and stop pushing our economy to the edge of a cliff.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 6, 2021

It sucks that McConnell only agreed to extend the debt ceiling until December, but we said all along that Republicans wouldn’t drive the economy over the cliff. Also, a short ten deal, though deeply imperfect, gives us the space to finish Build Back Better negotiations.

— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) October 6, 2021

Republican obstruction on the debt limit is putting the savings and pocketbooks of Americans on the line. Senate Republicans need to get out of the way.

Read more from my advisors: https://t.co/1b1A398wxJ

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2021

Another way to end this would be to nullify the debt ceiling by just tying it directly to the debt, as @ThePlumLineGS lays out here. https://t.co/zOITyUmWXE

The point is to take the bullets out of the gun, by whatever means are available.

— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) October 6, 2021

McConnell told his colleagues he’s concerned about pressure on Manchin and Sinema to gut filibuster in order to raise debt ceiling, I’m told. He pointed to this as reason why he is floating short-term increase in order to ease pressure on and push Democrats to use reconcilation

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 6, 2021

Is it possible the GOP creates a nihilism loop, where they make things so bad that Democrats do the one thing they could do that would bring about profound policy & political change by restoring majority rule?

I’m not a “heighten the contradictions” person, but I’m wondering…

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) October 5, 2021

A particularly blunt NYT reported piece on McConnell and the debt ceiling, making the case that what he wants is simply chaos https://t.co/k1dwhlV6Jy

— Sam Stein (@samstein) October 5, 2021

#MoscowMitch begins to suspect the leopards might be willing to eat his face…

… Mr. McConnell has another powerful political incentive for his stance. He cannot control his members, and is reluctant to risk the ire of Republican base voters by leaning on senators to smooth the way for a debt-limit increase. Even if Mr. McConnell wanted to allow one to come to a majority vote, a single senator could stop it. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who has made no secret of his presidential ambitions, said on Tuesday that he would block any such agreement — even one to expedite the process that Mr. McConnell is demanding…

How will it end? One option that Mr. Van Hollen said Democrats might have to pursue — and that Mr. Biden on Tuesday called “a real possibility” — is changing the filibuster rules so the borrowing limit increase, and any in the future, could pass with 50 votes.

Mr. King, who has been unenthusiastic about changing the rules, said he had to agree.

“I have been very reluctant for nine years about modifying the filibuster rule, especially when it comes to policy, but this has nothing to do with policy,” he said. “This is about keeping the United States and world out of what could be a severe recession.”