Nate Silver doesn’t think the raising of the debt ceiling is impossible
The bottom line: a vote to increase the debt limit would require the approval of all Safe Democrats, plus 50 of the 180 non-Tea Party Republicans. Those votes certainly won’t come easily, but nor does the math seem insurmountable.
I will be really surprised if any republican votes to raise the debt ceiling ever, Nate Silver is far smarter than I am, but I may understand the republican brain better.