Actually, some good grilling of Kathleen did happen...probably after Rush said this. Rep Ellmers of NC nailed her pretty good on men and maternity coverage...
Yes, the parts I saw looked like she was being raked over the coals. And being pretty arrogant and insolent in return. Her words may have been contrite (somewhat, anyways), but in tone and demeanor were anything but.
Yesterday was just the start of a narrative changing long march. The website problems are just one element in this, and in fact are masking the severe structural flaws in the law. But even some of those are starting to show themselves. People need to be patient on this for the next 9 months or so ...
Keyword (in your post) = “some”
Repubs should have gone into this hearing with an assiduously prepared list of “asking points” prepared by (but not specifically asked by) their top three attorneys, Trey Goudy and Ted Cruz (maybe he’s too nice and we’d be better off not sullying his image)
Point being, a skilled litigator knows how to ask question in a way that the witness can box themselves in and either perjure or discredit themselves. The idea that these series of questions would (in my image) have been asked by one senator, then another, then another, would have been even more effective.
Bottom line: The Repubs went into this hearing SPECTACULARLY and PATHETICALLY unprepared. (ask me if I am surprised)
I would frankly like to see Sebelius reduced to tears. That would have been a “war on women” image we could take to the bank.
We can't win by nit-picking, only by presenting better principles. If the we bring nits to the fight, and the Obama folks bring the principle of 'It's for the children', we lose even though they brought a stupid, incoherent principle.
The Republicans always choose the losing metaphor. If your opponent is falling, is commiting suicide, you don't just stand there and let them recover their balance or sanity - you push hard to make sure the verb tense is the past temse, they fell, they committed suicide.
If you aren't seen to be in the political fight, you are irrelevant to the fight.