“Dismissing it is, to me, a sign of foolishness,” said Mark Mellman, a leading Democratic pollster who is working for Landrieu. “Having said that, obsessing over it is a sign of foolishness. Neither is justified in my view.”

In private conversations, the split between the two opposing viewpoints grows even wider. The disagreement isn’t so much about the damage already done: Everyone knows the party took a hit the last two months. What they don’t agree on is the path back. Some Democrats, like Greenberg, believe the path out of the political doghouse is relatively straightforward. Bang the Republicans for their unpopular insistence on repealing the law, and hope the GOP fumbles its own response.

Remember the moment last cycle when Democrats told you we had 2012 in the bank because of the [Rep. Paul] Ryan [budget] plan?” said one Democratic operative. “And then Republicans, knowing they needed to respond, came back with their phony 700 million cut argument to help neuter the issue? Welcome back to that moment.”

As Greenberg’s polling suggested, there’s evidence for this view. Majorities of adults want to fix or retain the Affordable Care Act instead of repealing it. And Republicans, while talking about emphasizing a message other than outright repeal, have struggled to do so amid backlash from the conservative base.