In the last budget showdown, a last-minute deal was reached with House leaders to avert a government shutdown. It was only possible because public opinion had turned against the GOP. It was either agree to the deal or face eroding support and eventual voter backlash. But House Republicans have been openly breaking the deal ever since, mostly by cutting programs benefiting the middle class and poor — what a surprise. Today, the acting WH budget director, Jeffrey Zients, laid down the gauntlet, saying the President will sign no further appropriations until the deal is honored:

(TPM) — The development sets up a confrontation between GOP leaders and their right-leaning rank and file members, who will rebel if Republicans blink and adhere to the debt limit caps. It could also force the GOP’s presidential nominee to choose between supporting his party’s conservatives, and abandoning them, fracturing his coalition.Faced with a government shutdown one month before the election, and a public primed to blame the GOP for that outcome, Republicans will be under enormous pressure to back down.

Obama has shown himself to be willing to meet in the middle, even when it pisses off progressives like me. This is more confrontational, it’s about as close to In-Your-Face as this President gets.  Maybe they have a plan, ideally an integrated one that wedges the Romney and leaves House Teatards out on a limb by their lonesome.

I hope they know what they’re doing, that WH genius adviser have it gamed out with Venn diagrams and flow charts. Because the reality bending power of the usual suspects and their parallel universe hacks should not be taken lightly.