The Affordable Care Act — despite having been considered constitutional for quite some time — nearly brought this country to its knees during the government shutdown. By deciding that the act’s destruction was of utmost importance, Republicans put Americans’ livelihoods (and their own dignity) on the line.

As a result of Republicans’ prioritization, a smooth installment of the legislation was an essential goal for the Democrats and for the Obama administration. Unfortunately for them, that seamless transition did not happen.

The website through which Americans were supposed to sign up for health care was plagued by glitches and errors as soon as it was released. For one reason or another, most users are unable to actually sign up for health care through this federal exchange, leaving millions unprotected in what was meant to be a “new era” of health care reform. Whether because of an inability to sign up or to register family members, people have been unable to access what the Obama administration has so decisively promised.

Of course, nearly any new law has its problems at first, but these errors are particularly surprisingly because of Obama’s reputation as a president who has truly harnessed the Internet. Just as television coverage forever changed federal elections and campaign coverage, so too does the Internet have the power to help or hinder this generation’s candidates.

The Internet may have been commonly accessible since the ’90s, but it wasn’t until Obama’s presidential campaign that it was used to its full potential in the political arena. Though Obama is working with a different staff than he was during campaign days, America has come to expect certain online stability from his administration. It is his reputation as a master of the internet that makes the “glitches” of the ACA such a shock and a blow to the Democratic Party.

Democrats have tried valiantly to save face, as President Obama has said such things as “Let me remind everybody that the Affordable Care Act is not just a website. It’s much more.” He claims that the “product,” the health care itself, is stable and will be good for the American people. Additionally, the White House has proudly reported that since Oct. 1, the website (despite its issues) has had 17 million visitors.

Regardless of their attempts to salvage the situation, Democrats’ publicity efforts are no match for the Republican barrage to come. In the wake of the government shutdown, the GOP is looking for any reason to tear at their opponents and recover whatever respect they lost. The website’s glitches are a perfect excuse for Republicans to accuse the program of being faulty or destined to fail.

The Affordable Care Act website will probably be up and running fully at some point soon — in fact, the White House has flooded contractors and experts with funding in an attempt to get the site working as soon as possible. In the meantime, these errors have only provided fuel to those hoping to shoot down the Affordable Care Act and denounce its abilities to help this country.

Essentially, the Obama administration should have been prepared for this. Regardless of a tight schedule, or of the government shutdown, they should have ensured that the website was running as soon as they launched it, because all they’ve done now is enable ridicule. The errors in the system may be the fault of the individual contractors hired to establish the site and the program, but the blame will fall solely on Obama and the entire Democratic Party.

Instead of seizing an opportunity to further strengthen their policies and platform, the Obama administration has weakened itself through its glitchy software and faulty website.