It's clear to any observer, one party, called the Republican Party, holds the other party, called the Democratic Party, and its top official, President Obama, in complete, utter contempt without the slightest hint of the faintest implication of the merest pretense of respect. Nobody wants to sound like a whiner, but e-freaking-nough already. The contemptuous delegitimization of their opponents has become for the GOP what the flag lapel pin was a few years ago; you can't go on tv without it. The Atty. General's testimony today was the final slap in the face before I stop being quiet about this.
The 2000 election was a serious sh*t sandwich for many of us to swallow, but being Americans we swallowed nonetheless. We said at the time that Bush shouldn't be president, and history books will bear this out forever. However, he was the president . He was recognized as such by both parties, not to mention the support he was shown after 9/11. The point is, despite getting the second most votes, Bush's very legitimacy wasn't challenged and thereby bringing in with it a total lack of respect. Then in 2008 Barack Obama was elected and this was pure gasoline on the fire that is the Republican collapse of reason.
Again, I'm not condoning whining, but we cannot go into a campaign year with governing and discourse taking place in such a context. The Republicans deny racism is behind any of this. This can't be entirely true, but in any event certain facts are inarguable. The Republican field of presidential contenders is weak because anyone with anything to lose didn't want to challenge President Obama. Moreover, the Republican Party has willfully placed themselves at odds with a majority of Americans on taxes, spending, defense, women's rights, and immigration. Plus, they do this in the face of worsening demographic factors. Their lack of respect for political opponents has spread into contempt for the entire political process and all its participants. Perhaps they feel free to be this way because they believe the myth that this is a center right, conservative country; this is a New Deal country, watch what happens when they try and run on the Ryan Plan. This nation is more Four Freedoms than it is Paul Ryan, and its more progressive than Austrian. And yeah, it is called the Democratic Party.