4:15 p.m. ET all across the dial. I’m looking forward to this the way I am to dental work, or to a new season of “The Walking Dead.” Our media, of course, is more excited. Here’s what landed in my inbox a few hours ago, fresh off the news that the White House has kinda sorta reached seven million sign-ups.

There’s no suspense about O’s announcement. Pelosi revealed earlier this afternoon that they have in fact reached seven million according to whatever definition of “enrollment” HHS is using right now. As you’ll see below, Carney was even more specific at today’s briefing, reminding us yet again that the White House is fully capable of producing up-to-the-minute data about enrollment when it’s in their political interest to do so. The big reason to watch O’s presser is to see if they saved any tidbits for him: If in fact the risk pool has improved and now consists of ~40 percent or so of young adults, or if they have to reason believe that a majority of new enrollees were previously uninsured, that’s news that Obama himself might want to break. Otherwise, this is just his way of using the bully pulpit to make things a bit easier for Democratic incumbents. Voters will spend the next seven months hearing from Republicans how the law is a trainwreck in progress. This is Obama’s big chance to reassure fencesitters that, with the enrollment target now reached, HHS is “on track” for good things. All is proceeding as hath been prophesied by our central planners/seers.

I think Phil Klein’s right as usual. The takeaway from today isn’t the precise number but rather the fact that a lot of people are now dependent upon this law, which makes the task of repeal a heavier lift than it seemed at New Year’s.

When Obama made his now-infamous promise that if people liked their health care plans they could keep them, he did so because he understood that any significant changes to the health care system would cause disruptions, so he needed to reassure Americans that their plans wouldn’t be affected by what he was proposing. It was a clear lie, but one that was rooted in an understanding of political realities.

If Republicans had taken over the White House last year and pursued the repeal of Obamacare, they could have done so at a time when the law’s beneficiaries were mostly theoretical. Now, however, Republicans will be facing the same problem Obama did. Only more so, because they’ve invested so much in the idea that nobody can lose coverage as a result of health care legislative changes.

The launch phase of the law was a test to see if Democrats could get the public to more or less accept the new system as a replacement for the old one by participating in it en masse. That phase is now over. Here’s the new phase:

Whatever the final #, any GOP health care proposal will now have to grapple with millions of Obamacare beneficiaries http://t.co/ZrbFbPP62V

— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) April 1, 2014

@philipaklein @allahpundit On the other hand, Ds willing to march off a political cliff to pass. Would Rs be unwilling to do same to repeal?

— Sean T at RCP (@SeanTrende) April 1, 2014

@SeanTrende @allahpundit Do you really have to ask that? Of course they wouldn't be willing to.

— Philip Klein (@philipaklein) April 1, 2014

Of course they wouldn’t. No wonder the White House tech team is popping the champagne today. Here’s Carney taking a little victory lap of his own, and naturally jabbing at Boehner and the Republicans in doing so.