I’m in Easton, PA, watching campaign ads from my hotel room and feeling ill as I digest the latest news about the allegedly high percentage of Democratic voters who say they’ll “defect” and vote for McCain if their prefered Dem doesn’t win the nomination. PEOPLE, WAKE UP! I think I want to write another op-ed. (Paging Courtney–copy that?!)

I wish all those Dems who feel this way could have been at the dinner I attended with a group of Lafayette College students before my talk here last night. Most seemed to be Obama supporters, save me and one other student (go Abra!), but we all shared the fantasy of the Dream Ticket–Hillary and Barack, both. The passionate dinner table conversation, and a later exchange with Kimberly, a staff member here who was moved to drive up to New Hampshire to campaign for Obama door-to-door, put me in direct touch once again with the incredible energy and awakening among young people that Obama has set in motion.

To any post-college-age Democrat who feel “defecting” is an appropriate response, I have this to say: Defection is nothing but sore loserdom, with the emphasis on LOSER. Before you defect, please think about the message you are sending to a generation newly engaged.

(Image cred)