Politico Pro reported earlier this week that some of Obamacare’s loyal supporters are questioning the wisdom of Obamacare’s employer mandate – the requirement that all employers either provide health insurance for their workers or else pay fines. Liberal Democratic wonks and hacks alike have begun describing the employer mandate with words like “onerous” and “not critical.” Think-tankers at the Urban Institute and Democratic congressional candidates like Natalie Tennant of West Virginia are even hinting that the mandate may not be justified. Funny, didn’t Tea Partiers make the same arguments in 2009 and 2010?

It is thus ironic to see Democrats turning against the employer mandate in 2014, as it is one of Obamacare’s more popular provisions. Polling has consistently shown that the employer mandate enjoys much broader support than the individual mandate – the requirement that all Americans carry health insurance or pay fines, which President Obama has vigorously defended.