Why isn't this good news? I think it is.

Republicans who want Obamacare to fail are jubilant at what they consider the failure of the rollout;   and the release today of the first month's enrollment figures has them dancing in the aisles.  Well, should we expect anything different, since they are so disconnected from reality?

Here's how I see it.   It's true, the numbers are far less than the original prediction of the first month's enrollment.   But that prediction was made before all those first month glitches and overwhelming numbers made the federal website dysfunctional.

So I think it's pretty good news that a total of 106,185 have enrolled in an insurance program in the first month.

But here's the even better number -- which the press has hardly aknowledged: 

An additional 975,407 people have gotten as far as establishing an account with the exchanges;  they just haven't yet selected which policy they want.

Another 396,000 have been deemed eligible for enrollment in Medicare or the Children's Health Insurance Plan through the exchanges.

Why is that not blaringly good news?

An analysis of the very similar Massachusetts health care program shows a similar very slow first month.   Just over 100 people enrolled in that first month -- a rate of 0.3% of those who eventually enrolled in the highly successful Massachusetts plan.    The Obamacare first month was 2.5% of the anticipated eventual enrollment.

So flap your lips, Republicans.  Get as much mileage out of trashing Obamacare while you can.   Because this thing is going to work.  And you are going to be left in the dust.

Ralph