But, if Democrats had believed the promises they made to get Obamacare passed, why won’t they admit they made a terrible mistake and try sincerely to make amends?

If it’s party loyalty that keeps them out of the lifeboats, it’s been a one-way street. Mr. Obama never did much for other Democrats when he was popular. Now, for those who must run for office this year, he’s a pair of cement overshoes:

• President Obama got 63 percent of the vote in San Diego in 2012. A heavily outspent Republican won the mayoral election there by 10 percentage points Feb. 11.

• In a special election for the Virginia legislature Feb. 25 in a district Barack Obama won by 10 percentage points in 2012, the Republican got 60 percent of the vote.

• On March 11, Ms. Sink sank in Florida’s District 13.

• Last week in a special election for a state Senate seat in California, Democrats mustered barely half the vote Mr. Obama had won in 2012.