I wish I could take the opinion that "both sides are equally at fault, so screw 'em all" as dudalb. But at this time, these are the only two viable parties in this country. And I find that one side more closley shares my values than the other. So I support them. They do not do so perfectly. I would imagine even a hard liberal would feel that the Democrats don't always serve their own interests well enough, but it's better to them than the other side.
It's been my feeling that the left has been more guilty of this than the right. Maybe not in quantity, but in tone. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just been that way the last 8 years. I don't disagree that the right was rough on Clinton. But I don't remember them saying things as outrageous as much that was said about Bush. Much of the Bush hatred seemed, to me, to be a vindictive "payback" for Clinton. But taken much too far.
I personally experienced people judging me as less than human or as unworthy of respect and friendship based on my support of Bush. I never was like that with anyone who supported Clinton. Yet I lost many friends online, and a couple in real life, that were absolutely intolerant of Bush in every single way. In a manner that seemed to be wholy outrageous.
Calling him Hitler, accusing him of "pissing on the constitution". Comparisons of him to a monkey. Constantly belittling him for every word out of his mouth. Constantly demagoging right wing positions in the worst way. It was maddening and extremely frustrating.
Regardless of who is worse, it's just wrong. It's sad that we are all so blinded by our beliefs that we are willing to go such levels to destroy the other side. I'm sick of it. It may never change, but I hold out hope that one day, someone will be able to raise above it and lead by example, and revolutionize things. Or maybe they will try to do so, and go down in such terrible flames, it'll wake everyone up to how bad things are. I would have thought that Palin would have been that line, in the recent past. But clearly not.