Well, if this isn’t some kind of indicator of the state of the wave, such that it might be, I don’t know what is. Here’s Rep. Chris Van Hollen being asked on MSNBC, of all places, about the gubernatorial race in Maryland, of all places. That race, in a deep blue state, pits Lt. Gov Anthony Brown and architect of the spectacularly failed Maryland Obamacare exchange against Republican businessman Larry Hogan.

Van Hollen says if Brown loses, it’d have nothing to do with Obama, despite the fact that Maryland is one of the few places the president has stumped in recent months. What it is, you see, is that Maryland’s not usually in play, and so a lot of Democrats fell asleep at the switch. And, why is Maryland in play, pray tell, so that falling asleep at the switch matters? Perhaps because the point man on an utterly failed, but super-expensive, exchange web site that is a palpable and expensive symbol of Obama’s failed policies is at the top of the ticket, with Obama literally standing beside him.

“I think it’s the fact that Maryland has not traditionally been in play. So a lot of Democrats were falling asleep at the switch,” Mr. Van Hollen said Monday on MSNBC. “Look, the only people that can beat Democrats in Maryland, Democratic candidates, are Democrats who stay home.”

Mr. Van Hollen said that as more and more Democrats recognize the race is actually close, they’re getting more excited about the contest.

We’ve covered the failure of the Maryland exchange here, here, and here.

Never forget: “It’s going to be smoother in places like Maryland where governors are working to implement it rather than fight it. (Applause.)” — President Barack Obama, Sept. 26, 2013