… In his biggest and most important speeches, the president often talks with passion about a “smarter, more effective government.” He has called on Congress to embrace and pay for a “21st-century government that’s open and competent.” And he has vowed to work to “rebuild people’s faith in the institution of government.” …
The breakdown of the federal HealthCare.gov Web site could emerge as a test of Mr. Obama’s governing philosophy, with potentially serious implications for an agenda that relies heavily on the belief in a can-do bureaucracy. Michael Dimock, the Pew center’s director, said that the longer the problems persist, the more they could bolster what he called the “almost American value that government is inefficient.”
“There is a lingering kind of effect,” he said. “It matters not only because the public may have an inherent skepticism. It puts the ball on the tee for your critics and the late-night comics.” CONT.
Michael D. Shear, New York Times