Who Knew This Blog Would Last Longer Than The U.S. Government?

So the U.S. Government non-essential services are closed starting today as the Republican-controlled house refuses to pass a spending bill unless the Democrats cancel or delay Obamacare.  Meanwhile, Obamaca...I'm sorry, the "Affordable Care Act" started coming into effect today.

But speaking of the act's names, I've noticed something today: several times on Twitter and on Blogs, I've seen people call it, "ACA" (that's the initials, see.)  What's weird about that is that I don't think I've heard anyone call it ACA in the years since it was first announced.  People who are against it call it Obamacare because they think an association with Obama soils anything it touches.  People who flippantly or neutrally refer to it, also call it Obamacare because it sounds sort of silly and non-technical.  Politicians in favour of it call it by its full name, the Affordable Care Act, because they want to give it the branding they've chosen for it.

But what kind of person would call it by it's initials?  A person who is in favour of it, but not actually a politician trying to sell it.  What I'm getting at is, American liberals haven't exactly gone out of their way to support this thing.  It seems like it's only today that they're talking about it happily, and without disappointment at missing out on Canadian-style single-payer.

That makes me wonder if the Democrats really should go to the wall for the ACA.  Sure, the U.S. may be split down the middle politically, but it certainly seems like conservatives don't want it more than liberals want it.  Maybe now that it's under threat, liberals will summon some enthusiasm for the Affordable ObamaCare Act.