Dean has been catching a lot of heat for saying that his supporters might not vote for a Washington politician if another Dem gets the nomination. Josh Marshall said that
"[Dean is] playing the defection card. And that crosses the line."
Excuse me? I find the criticism to be utterly absurd. The other opponents have been saying for months that Dean is "unelectable". Presumably being unelectable means that someone who would vote for Kerry, Gephardt, or Lieberman would either stay home or vote for Bush. Is there another option? Doesn't "unelectable" directly imply that even if those three endorsed Dean their supporters would not follow?
I think that it is fair to say that Dean's statement is as bad as the "unelectable" comments. But it is in no way any worse. Indeed, it is the same argument with a different title. And it was said once, after months of incessant and identical attacks.