WASHINGTON As the dust settles from Fridays collapse of Trumpcare in the House of Representatives and fingers try to point out the various losers, at least one clear winner has emerged: facts.

As in: the realities of the health insurance market, and their resistance to conform to promises made on the campaign trail.

In 2009, President Barack Obama was criticized for failing to schmooze lawmakers sufficiently for being an imperious technocrat when the situation called for a glad-handing salesman.

Eight years later, Republicans had precisely that in President Donald Trump a self-described dealmaker who neither knew nor cared about the details of health care, but who promised a terrific plan to replace the disaster of Obamacare by dint of his personality alone.

After fast-tracking a proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act as the first major legislative item on the agenda of a unified, all-Republican government, Trump and House speaker Paul Ryan pulled their American Health Care Act just minutes before a scheduled vote. Too many Republicans dozens, both conservative Freedom Caucus members as well as moderates were prepared to vote against it.

That is the growing pains of being a governing party, Ryan said later.