How fast the conventional wisdom can change. Only three weeks ago, the liberal commentariat —joined by some hand-wringing Republicans—proclaimed the death of Tea Party, but not before it had stampeded the GOP over the precipice of extremism.

Yet, in our fast-moving world, the government shutdown of 2013 already seems an afterthought. The Affordable Care Act, by contrast, is not going anywhere. For those who do want to re-litigate the shutdown, the underlying rationale of the recalcitrant House Republicans, and their much-maligned Senate allies, suddenly doesn’t look so idiosyncratic.

The president and his political advisers know this. Their strategy is to counterattack by blaming Republican foot-dragging for some of Obamacare’s shortcomings.

“It’s very disturbing to see that the website hasn’t performed as well as we would like,” Rep. Xavier Becerra, a Democrat from Los Angeles, said after emerging from a White House briefing. “I think it’s even more disturbing when individuals intentionally work against the American people and the rights that they have now secured to access quality, affordable health care.”