The next 96 hours could determine the future of the Republican Party. If the Tea Party is coronating its own third-party candidate next summer, the moment of schism will likely be traced back to this week of debate on raising the debt ceiling. The fissures are already evident. House Speaker John Boehner and his No.2, majority leader Eric Cantor, split on a grand bargain for deficit reduction. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s plan of last resort was met with outright hostility by the House Republican conference. And the House Republicans’ preferred plan — Cut, Cap and Balance – is less than popular with the Republican pundit class who openly acknowledge it’s a PR stunt that has zero chance of becoming law. To hear Democrats tell it, House Republicans are “isolationist,” “extreme” and “spend more time listening to each other than their leaders.” Of course, it behooves Democrats to push the idea of a Republican Party in disarray. But Republicans have given them plenty of fodder. As two roads diverge before the GOP on the debt ceiling, it’s increasingly hard to see a path that leads to party unity. Go right and the GOP risks default and, as McConnell has warned, being blamed by the center for an economic disaster. Take the center path – there is no left turn here – and Republicans risk an angry Tea Party base and potential primary threats. From the advent of the Tea Party to purity tests and the 2010 primary challenges, the split has been a long time coming. (MORE: As the Debt Debate Shifts, Tea Partyers Plan to Hold Their Ground The center road toward compromise looks to be the likely path. Boehner said on Thursday that he has been preparing his flock for such an eventuality. “Frankly, I think it would be irresponsible, on behalf of the Congress and the President, not to be looking at backup strategies for how to solve this problem,” Boehner told reporters. As Karl Rove noted, the debate is now between a package that is mostly … Continue reading The Looming GOP Split