Discharge petition, thwart McCarthy

Democrats in the House could thwart McCarthy's vow to use the debt ceiling to hold the US government to ransom by signing a discharge petition. They would need at least five Republicans to sign it with them.

I think there is another way. Robert Reich recommended that Democrats should unite with the slightly-less-extremist Republicans to elect one of those as speaker.

It has been reported that any member of the House can now demand a new election for speaker, per the new rules McCarthy imposed at the demand of the hyperextremists. If Democrats make a deal with the Republican slightly-less-extremists to support one of those as speaker, perse would win. They could make a deal beforehand to raise (or eliminate) the debt ceiling and to leave Social Security and Medicare untouched.

Reich referred to those Republican as "moderates", but I don't think that term fits them. Just as "moderate" Democrats are actually plutocratist, not moderate at all, so are "moderate" Republicans.