It's not so much a PR failure, as an ergonomics issue -- making laziness the default makes it too easy for people to create performance problems for themselves.
Haskell's laziness undoubtedly works and is useful; you might say it was Haskell's strictness that needed improving.
Haskell's laziness undoubtedly works and is useful; you might say it was Haskell's strictness that needed improving.