Howard Dean: Debt fight helps Obama

Is Washington's gridlock over the government shutdown good for Obamacare? Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean says yes.

"From a political point of view, the debt fight and the government shutdown actually help Obama because people are focusing on that," Dean said on CNBC Monday. "I think Obamacare is going to take two or three weeks to get it straightened out entirely, but it's on par for the course."

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An energetic supporter of the Affordable Care Act, Dean pointed to the glitches in the health-care exchange websites as a testament to its success. President Barack Obama has been pushing the same message since the exchanges opened Oct. 1.

"A lot of people have gone online and found out that their premiums are going to drop dramatically, that they will be able to have health insurance for the first time because they have pre-existing conditions that they can't be denied for anymore," Dean said. "There's a lot of anecdotal evidence out there. This is going to work; it's just going to take some time."

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Such glitches are normal for massive Web rollouts, Dean said.

"I think this is the standard for tech rollouts, no matter whether it's the tax department or even private sector stuff," he said. "There are a lot of reasons this happens and happens almost in every tech rollout that I've seen over a long period of time."

The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee said that, ultimately, the Affordable Care Act was created for the private sector.

"I think the private sector is going to figure out how to do this."

—By CNBC Desk Producer Elizabeth Schulze. Follow her on Twitter: @eschulze9