http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/gop-obamacare-7-million
So, yeah, Obamacare hit its target number. It stuck the landing. Certainly had trouble mounting the bar at first, but great finish.
The hyperventilating by the GOP over how awful ACA is was always a cynical political gambit. Incessant attacks were designed to undermine faith in the law. Add into it the incompetent launch of the website, and things looked shaky.
That was 120 days ago.
It is always a fascinating exercise to try and figure out how a political party has the support of less than half the electorate, has no positive ideas for governance, has few policy positions that people support and has its fair share of panty-sniffing creeps trying to pry open your bedroom door consistently manages to win elections.
But the knee-jerk, reflexive coverage the website rollout and the early struggles of the law have played perfectly to the headline-obsessed, ADHD press. Our analysis for the most part is incapable of seeing past the "horse race" or the here and now. Some writers like Ezra Klein have tried to disentangle policy from politics, but with mixed results.
In the end, Obamacare will work - not perfectly but well. Repeal isn't going to happen unless the Republicans win both Houses of Congress and the White House - something I'd consider very, very unlikely. By 2020, ACA will be the new normal.
The internet/cable TV obsession with the short term helps make our politics stupid, which helps elect stupid politicians.
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