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

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.”