Combine that frustration and cynicism with Mr Blair's determination to fight, as they would see it, an unnecessary war on false pretences and it is nowonder that the prime minister's standing with female voters has fallen.
It's nowonder individual inventors and small businesses are urging Congress to kill this bill, or that 26 Nobel laureates have formally petitioned Congress to deep-six it.
But given the levels of disclosure required in America, offering tantalising detail about a firm's investment strategy and returns, it is nowonder other management companies are moving cautiously.