The news that the Affordable Care Act, despite its early malfunctions, still managed to acquire 7 million “customers” has predictably driven the Republicans even further round the bend about it than before. I have no sympathy. They never offered an alternative, they have repeatedly voted to repeal it, and they refused to work with Democrats in Congress when it was being written. They are the most worthless excuse for a political party I’ve seen since, well, never.

As Jonathan Chait says pithily, the train did not wreck.

Will that finally settle the Republicans’ hash? Not hardly. They’re going to continue to screech about it for months to come.

To be sure, the critics are clinging desperately to scraps of hope. Some of the customers haven’t paid their first premium yet! (True, but most of them have no reason to pay before their first bill is due.) Most of the sign-ups were already insured! (No, that’s a measure that includes off-exchange sign-ups, which include lots of rollovers from the pre-Obamacare market. States that ask have found 80 to 90 percent of new exchange customers were previously uninsured.)

What it boils down to is differing philosophies of government: Democrats want to help people, Republicans want to help themselves.