None of this may matter in the end. As gas prices continue to skyrocket and the economy looks to be sinking into a recession, Obama might win in spite of opposition from the No-Dealers. But it would be a mistake to dismiss their protests as petulance when what many of them really want is a debate about principles. The timing of this discord is probably not perfect for Democrats who are keen to take back the White House at all costs. But for a country which consented to an unnecessary and violent war with cold hard cynicism not so long ago, a grassroots rebellion fuelled largely by idealism may not be such a bad outcome after all.

The writer is Assistant Professor of Economics and International Business Diplomacy at Georgetown University ad369@georgetown.edu