The moment the Congressional Budget Office released its score of the Obamacare repeal bill passed recently by the house, hysterical partisan voices began their hue and cry. Under this baneful new reform, headlines wailed, “23 million would lose health coverage.”

That isn’t actually what the nonpartisan CBO’s report said. But politicians and activists know a powerful rhetorical point when they see it. And there’s great danger when such a potent point can be made that all resolve to do something necessary will collapse into a puddle of political cowardice.