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Is the House Republican leadership backing away from its demand that big changes to Obamacare are the price of reopening the government and raising the nation鈥檚 debt ceiling?

That鈥檚 what some tea party conservatives are beginning to suspect. They鈥檝e noticed rhetoric from House Speaker John Boehner (R) of Ohio and his allies has changed a bit in recent days. It鈥檚 focusing on the word 鈥渃onversation鈥� 鈥� as in, what the GOP wants is for President Obama to give in and talk to them. The GOP leadership is talking more about the general prospect of tax reform and budget restraint, as opposed to the Affordable Care Act in particular.

Now, from House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin is irritating some on the right due to what they believe is its apostasy. The piece repeats the request for negotiation and talks about the prospect for bipartisan entitlement reform. It does mention the need for a 鈥渃omplete rethinking of government鈥檚 approach to health care,鈥� but only as a vague future goal.

鈥淏ut right now, we need to find common ground. We need to open the federal government. We need to pay our bills today 鈥� and make sure we can pay our bills tomorrow. So let鈥檚 negotiate an agreement to make modest reforms to entitlement programs and the tax code,鈥� writes Representative Ryan.

鈥淥bamacare鈥� does not appear in the piece. It contains no direct reference to the president鈥檚 signature health law or the law鈥檚 current implementation problems. And that has not gone unnoticed among those for whom Obamacare is the central issue of the current crisis.

鈥淲hat is amazing about this op-ed is what it fails to mention. Amidst the garrulous piece on Medicare reform, Social Security, and tax policy, there is not one word about the very impetus for this so-called stalemate 鈥� Obamacare,鈥� .

Of course, it鈥檚 possible that Ryan is just keeping quiet about Obamacare for the moment, given that polls show the public blames the GOP somewhat more than Democrats for the current situation. On Wednesday, Mr. Boehner reiterated the party's particular criticism of the health care plan, calling it "a rolling calamity" and "a trainwreck."

But tea party conservatives are worried that the leadership is selling them out 鈥� they see a developing endgame in which the government shutdown is linked to the debt limit to create a larger crisis, allowing House GOP leaders to switch to their preferred solution of a modest budget package hammered out in negotiations with the White House.

The well-connected Robert Costa of the right-leaning National Review says Wednesday that while tea party-types have wanted the current war to be about defunding Obamacare, the House leadership is more circumspect. Leadership members also want to defund the Affordable Health Care Act in theory but think a trade for entitlement reform makes more sense in the current divided government.

鈥淩yan oped, House Rs tell me, signals opening of leadership鈥檚 final move; but getting to 218 [votes in House] will be tough, may need adjustments/add-on,鈥� .

The central question this raises is whether Boehner will be able to convince enough of his most hard-line members to accept this approach. It might be possible 鈥� Boehner has won some 鈥渕odest鈥� credibility with the tea party caucus due to his willingness to accept their defund demand and take it as far as he has, .

鈥淚nterviews with tea party-aligned House members and other hard-line conservatives reveal a modest if unmistakable rise in support for Boehner 鈥� a politician they have previously disdained and tried to unsuccessfully to evict from power,鈥� Messrs. Bresnahan and Harris write.