NY Times on Obamacare: 'at least they are trying

The New York Times has given up on skirting aroundPresident Obama's "false promise" on Americans retaining their existing health insurance plans, but it's not ready to throw in the towel on Obamacare completely. From a Tuesday editorial:

Unquestionably, the White House handed [Republicans] this gift through two kinds of incompetence: the technical failure of the health-exchange website, and the political failure of the president in falsely promising that no one would lose an insurance policy they already had. ...

What is the Republican alternative to this government program, flawed as it is right now? There is none. Party members simply want to repeal the health law and let insurers go back to canceling policies at the first sign of a shadow on an X-ray. They have no immigration policy of their own. They have no plan that will stimulate job growth. They are in favor only of shutdowns and sequesters and repeals, giving the public no reason to believe they have a governing vision or even a legislative agenda.

Over time, that will prove to be a far more serious failure than momentary incompetence. Democrats may be stumbling right now, but at least they are trying.