tbf, there is a good social engineering function to propaganda. Propaganda is not necessarily false, it just can be. If you look at the roots of the word (which originates with the Jesuits) it has the same meaning as "to go viral" in modern Internet speak. To propagate, to organically spread and grow on its own.

My father, who worked with MLK and the SCLC referred to his work in the civil rights and union movements as being "a propagandist for the right reasons" -- a dry jest that should have made your brain trainwreck instantly if you are paying attention. He was an incredibly smart and funny -- and very ethical man. I inherited the family business, which is why I ended up as founding executive director of the Tor Project. You of course are welcome to judge that bit of work on its own basis. I didn't write the software, I just took it from a framing as a gray hat cypherpunk project to being the acclaimed champion of human rights, journalism, democracy rights activists, and apple pie in about six months flat along with seven figures of funding most of it from the US government without which we'd probably be dead meat from the NSA now (IMNSHO, and I don't speak for the current project's management -- only a volunteer these days).

Ultimately, my point is, I've worked with folks in government, and around Alex. And I've worked around these health care exchanges from RomneyCare here in MA.

The fact that they can relaunch, have a database like this work, even get this decision through, is pretty damn revolutionary. That it worked and they didn't get immediately hosed for it -- you have no idea how risky this was for them on an eGov basis, especially in "obamacare" where they have targets on their back for everything.

Give the dudes credit for a little excessive celebration. It's not propaganda -- and if it were...?

Triangulation sucks too.