When Will Liberals Respect Conservatives?

[kpete]

To the Editor:

I take exception to “Jon Stewart, Patron Saint of Liberal Smugness” (Sunday Review, Aug. 9), in which Gerard Alexander bemoans what he sees as Mr. Stewart’s contribution to “our polarized public discourse” and, more generally, liberals’ failure to respect conservatives.

When conservatives abandon their plan to prevent women from having an abortion; when they relinquish their refusal to expand Medicaid because of their contempt for the poor; when they desist in their efforts to deport millions of illegal immigrants because of their bigotry toward Latinos; when they grow the mere semblance of a social conscience and reverse their slashing of funds for food stamps and nutrition programs for poor single mothers and their children, and instead substitute a tax on billionaires and the closing of a single tax loophole; and when they suspend their actions to decrease minority voting, depriving millions of a right that is most elemental in a democracy — then I will respect them.

Indignation should not be conflated with smugness.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/opinion/liberals-conservatives-and-jon-stewart.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0

[FiveGoodMen]

1. When will decent people respect the devil?

Never, I'd say.

[the devil]

45. hey...

I don't deserve a little respect?

None...

Okay...I'll go sit in the corner and watch Daily Show clips on youtube...

[hifiguy]

48. Welcome to DU

[bvar22]

69. Hey, I got Sympathy for the Devil!!

Please allow me to introduce myself......

[Elmer S. E. Dump]

74. What's the going rate for my soul in todays dollars?

A friend of mine is interested.

[haikugal]

2. When Republicans start to respect themselves and stop acting like members of a clown car. nt

[PJMcK]

3. A comment from another letter

In another LTTE, Anthony Greco of New York writes:

"Mr. Alexander criticizes liberals for fixating on figures like Sarah Palin and Todd Akin, but where are the Palins and Akins, not to mention the Trumps, Santorums and Carsons, among prominent Democrats? How many of the latter deny the sciences of climate change and evolution? Large percentages of Republican voters question President Obama’s birthplace, his religion and even his loyalty to America; there is no evidence of similar detachment from reality on the Democratic left.

The plain fact is that there is asymmetry in our political life..."

[ffr]

27. +1

I always pose the same question to the RWNJ people I know. I tell them, you know, if I put a D by any one of your candidates names and an R by any Democratic candidate, you'd immediately change your stance on them, placing legitimacy with all the Rs and contempt for everyone with a D. And they always respond back, 'no I wouldn't.'

LIAR!

[Beartracks]

54. When one's analysis of right/wrong depends on the (D)/(R)...

... yoooooooou might be a conservative.

I have often thought this. If a conservative reads a story about a politician caught in some sort of impropriety, they won't know what to think or how to react until you tell them if the politician was a Democrat or a Republican.


============================

[Syzygy321]

65. And...that's a trait only ever seen in conservatives?.

I hate this "we perfect, them EEEVIL" crap.

[bvar22]

70. You can see it on DU.

Many actions that were descried and villified under Bush,
are now completely acceptable and supportable when continued under the current Administration.

[Syzygy321]

71. People are people. Everywhere.

[GoneFishin]

73. I used to think it was a Republican thing, but now I think it is an authoritarian thing.

After Junior left office I was surprised to see the same personality trait exhibited on DU.

[ncjustice80]

76. We're not "perfect," but they ARE evil.

There is not a single thing the Republicans have that I could find common ground on.

Why should I respect creatures like that?

[Syzygy321]

107. I am a democrat born and raised,

and I find attitudes like yours to be part of the problem, not the solution.

Please think about what you are saying. "Republicans are creatures". (Oh - so half of Americans are subhuman?)

"There is not a single thing we could find common ground on.". (You don't think they love their families, fall on hard times, want to do the right thing, cry for their dead, etc? Sounds like you are deliberately dehumanizing millions of people.)

"Why should I respect them?". (Goodness. That's between you and your conscience.)

Republicans are just like me and you, with different ideas about how to fix problems. Some of their ideas are nutty. Frankly, some of our ideas will probably be proven nutty too someday.

You sound like, well, certain people who like to label others and then look down on them. Does that trouble you?

[ncjustice80]

108. No, I don't.

They want to put black men and immigrant in cages, leave the poor to die in the streets while enriching their 1% masters, control every aspect of women's bodies, establish an American Theocracy, and literally destroy the planet.

So no, I don't respect them, and I think "creature" is an applicable label for guys like David Duke and Donald Trump, as well as their supporters, and I doubt I have much in common with them.

[MelungeonWoman]

88. Oh, please.

Go find me the Carlos Danger support thread.

[HubertHeaver]

68. It confuses Fox.

If an R gets in trouble, it becomes a D.

[redstateblues]

4. Jon Stewart always treated conservatives respectfully

On his show. He was great at poking holes in their ideas without being nasty. I miss him a lot especially when 10 o'clock rolls around (CST)

[ruffburr]

5. I'm sorry

I will never have respect for warmongering, greedy , self righteous Pricks.

[librechik]

6. I remember (many decades ago, pre-Reagan) conservatives who actually tried to help

there was a bit of honor about winning the election and then pitching in with whatever Americans won to help everybody. With the 24/7 election cycle, that can never be, and the losers (conservatives) have abandoned the honorable option for constant attack and obstruction.

[NCjack]

31. The House worked well when Robert H. Michel (R-IL)

was Minority Leader (1979 - 1995). The current era of contention began with Speaker Newton Gingrich (R-GA), who destroyed every form of cooperation with DEMs during his rule from 1995 - 1999. We are stuck with paralyzed government, unless SCOUS helps us by stopping gerrymandering.

[cantbeserious]

7. Is This A Trick Question?

eom

[Uncle Joe]

8. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, kpete.

[lark]

9. Oh it's worse than that.

It's not just abortions (although that type of male control of women is also heinous) that are in thee Republicans cross hairs, it's women being able to control their reproduction - period. Many of the laws being put forth in RW legislatures across the country also disallow birth control pills/injections, which Iare used by the majority of child bearing age women. Even worse than those are the laws being pushed by RW assholes that let rapists have rights to children born of a criminal act. Robbers have no right to the $$ they steeal, how to rapists have rights to stop women from aborting the product of the crime, and the ability to force the women to let her baby spend time with a criminal and the criminal come to her home. I couldn't believe it when I first heard that this law was already in force in some states. I can't imagine a more nightmarish scenario for the rape survivor than this.

[Freddie]

17. 100% agree, and our side has to do a lot more screaming about this

I understand America's Holy Document, the Constitution, forbids cruel and unusual punishment. That's only for criminals, though--cruel and unusual punishment of crime victims is just peachy.

[Enthusiast]

22. It's hard to fathom. They want to return to the 19th century and before. But why?

They can not accomplish this goal without the aid of Republicans posing as "Democrats".

I hope we will remember that.

[JHB]

10. When conservative stop swallowing horseshit like it's chocolate.

<mikedrop>

[jalan48]

11. We learned long ago that this isn't about working together. Think how they have treated Obama.

Karl Rove, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of these right wingers have turned this into a war, being nice will only get us played.

[stage left]

12. That is a great response.

I will respect conservatives when they are deserving of respect.

[lastlib]

13. When will CON-servatives DESERVE respect?

(about the time this happens, I'd say)

[CrispyQ]

14. If they were really 'conservatives' I might respect them,

but they've hijacked the word & applied it to a radical ideology of profit-before-everything, individuality at the expense of community, & government small enough to drown in a bathtub but big enough to stalk your bedroom. They are a cancer in our society & I'm beginning to question anyone I know who votes repub. What the fuck? Do you have a brain? Do you use it?

[Enthusiast]

23. Excellent post. I feel exactly the same. They never deserve our cooperation or bipartisanship.

And they are completely undeserving of our respect. They are behaving as if the American people are their new enemy.

[ffr]

29. "Completely undeserving of our respect"

They are behaving like 5 year olds and need to be sent to the corner for a time out.

[JDPriestly]

39. +10000

Respecting the fools who got us into the Iraq war an ISIS and dependence on fuels that are destroying our environment?????

How do they deserve even the tiniest bit of respect?

My respect goes to those who lead wisely and compassionately, not to fools.

[jaysunb]

89. +1 n/t

[smirkymonkey]

99. +1000

[Baitball Blogger]

15. When they stop using their politics to cheat the system.

I have had conversations with them and they are very much aware that Democrats run a tight ship and offer the most responsible and stable programs, while Republicans are loosey gooseys, behaving like irresponsible drunks who are tapping out everyone's savings until everything is gone.

And it didn't have to be that way. I remember the days of big government. In those days there was lots of moneys to spread around. I remember healthy October quotas in the private sector because it was the end of the government calendar year. I remember more responsible upkeep of infra-structure. I remember a vibrant real estate market because of tax shelters that were set up for rental condos or charitable donations.

Yes, there was also irresponsible pork that could have been eliminated. But instead of trimming the fat, we literally allowed every useful program to go down the drain. And now, what we have today is pre-apocalypsia. We have nothing to debate or barter over because the leverage is gone. Our politics are now down to fighting to protect the resources we have and ensuring that our police programs are not used as a veiled attempt at genocide.

Perhaps this is not all a bad thing since we finally can concentrate on those basic things that are necessary in order to maintain our identity as a country.

[sarge43]

16. Oldie, but goldie

When Conservatives stop wearing Purple Heart band-aids to mock a combat veteran. Until then they can pound sand.

[jtuck004]

18. The same day progressives start respecting liberals. lol n/t

[King_Klonopin]

95. Right. Reap what you sow, mofos !! nt

[usaf-vet]

19. When they actually support veterans.

No more lip service. Just good old fashion SERVICE.

[FlatBaroque]

20. When they stop celecrating the cancerous disease afflicting a great statesman

and humaitarian.

[LostOne4Ever]

21. Respect must be earned, and conservatives have done nothing to deserve it. nt

[Angry Dragon]

24. today's Conservatives?? -- NEVER

[Jack Rabbit]

25. I respect conservatives. It's right wing kooks for whom I have no patience

There is a difference between Barry Goldwater and Jesse Helms. There is a difference between William F. Buckley and Rush Limbaugh. Bill Clinton has a better claim on the word conservative than the Koch brothers.

It's time we respect that difference and stop using the word conservative for the gang of racists, misogynists, homophobes, sectarian bigots and corporate fascists that infect the body politic in the 21st century.

[ncjustice80]

77. They're the same thing.

I have no common ground with an (R).

[40RatRod]

26. I will...

when they stop being the party of stupid!

[lonestarnot]

28. Oh about never. Bathing in bleach can't remove dat smell.

[OnionPatch]

30. I was poor once.

I'll never forget the way my family was treated like scum of the Earth by conservatives when we went through hard times, even though none of it was brought on by irresponsibility or laziness.

I'll respect conservatives when they start respecting other people on this Earth who aren't their same color, religion, sexual orientation or in their same economic class.

[daleanime]

64. Amen.....

[ananda]

32. When so-called "conservatives" are actually conservative.

In my mind, the ideas of preservation and conservation can be good
in some respects.

But that is the total opposite of what "conservatives" these days
stand for, which is more in the nature of rape, plunder, and pillage
our national economy and some sort of deathwish to destroy
the public commons.

[Iggo]

35. Yep, yep.

[Dont call me Shirley]

63. Another yup!

[DhhD]

101. This is the backsliding personally of TX R-Senator Cruz-Canadian, who is a Radical Fundamentalist

not a Conservative.

[sub.theory]

33. It's a two way street to bridge this chasm

The writer of this piece is pretty clearly part of the problem. They are demanding total capitulation as a precondition for dialogue, which will require a certain degree of respect for fellow Americans. This is true for both conservatives and liberals. We may never achieve these goals in the article if half of the country is deadlocked against us, right?

I do very much believe that we have to start healing this divide in our country. And it will require both sides working to end the demonizing of the other side no matter how strongly we disagree with their views. I'm not going to say that both sides behave equally in this regard, but we liberals still have work to do on our end. This total inability to compromise or give-and-take, the absolutist positions and binary thinking is not healthy in politics and it's not healthy in life. For better or worse, we are one nation and we are going to need to start learning to get along.

So, this author is a terrible example, but let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.

[Iggo]

34. Soon as I meet a conservative who doesn't want to tell me how to live.

[RufusTFirefly]

36. The notion that these fanatics are called "conservatives" speaks to the level of our indoctrination

Similarly, I hear the "far left" used to describe people who would be centrists in FDR's administration.

[onecaliberal]

37. When hell freezes over.

I don't respect people that worship money and war.
Republicans would make the planet uninhabitable for humans in order to profit. These are evil, greedy, haters.
WILL. NEVER. RESPECT.

[aggiesal]

38. When they stop electing idiots ...

but that may never happen.

[47of74]

40. When Will Liberals Respect Conservatives?

I'll give you all a hint...

[NRaleighLiberal]

41. I will respect them when they finally have a useful idea

about anything at all. Key word useful. Preferably one that is not exclusively self-serving.

[Punx]

42. When they Stop

Being the party of Aristocracy and the .1%,

Of Unending War,

Of Monopoly and Corporate control over society,

Of Hate and Bigotry

Supporting the militarization of police and harsh police tactics,

Supporting the control and power over women.


When they actually believe in Democracy,

And human rights,

And respect other religions other than their Fundamentalist Prosperity Gospel Christianity.


I'll respect them when they show that they actually care about the average person in this world.


But you know what, I do respect them. I have a healthy respect for how dangerous their leaders are and will speak out and oppose them any way I can.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

43. That's like asking, "When are minorities going to respect their betters?"

[joanbarnes]

44. so much to be added......when they stop warmongering, when they cherish Mother Earth......

I could add several pages, but in a word, i fear the answer is 'Never.'

[WinkyDink]

46. Um, excuse me, Mr. Alexander? What? "Respect"??? WTH for, pray tell? Oh, and STHU, too.

[hifiguy]

47. Eeyup

When reichwingers stop being intolerant, authoritarian, even totalitarian assholes and start recognizing that ALL people have rights that must be respected, then they can be counted as reasonable beings.

Remember Eisenhower? Gerry Ford? There used to be a lot of sane Republicans with whom one could respectfully agree to disagree about particular policies? But that was decades ago.

Stop being bigoted, xenophobic, buybull-pounding, self-righteous assholes serving only the rich and contribute something positive to public discourse.

Ain't holding my breath.

[lumberjack_jeff]

49. It's not their beliefs that bug me. It's the idea that having "beliefs" is better than knowledge.

i.e. "belief" in global warming or "belief" that a higher minimum wage hurts employment or that high taxes on the rich suppresses the economy.

I don't respect that. They're entitled to be wrong, but I can't respect people who think that's a legitimate choice.

[ncjustice80]

78. Their beliefs SHOULD bug you though.

Honestly, our right wing is bat shit crazy for a modern country. In any other country our Democrats would be "conservatives" and our progressives would be an openly socialist party (if not communist!)

[lumberjack_jeff]

84. At least a mutually shared reality would be a starting point

I don't respect people who operate on belief to the exclusion of all else.

[abakan]

50. For this liberal

When pigs fly, because that's when they will do something respectable.

[ThoughtCriminal]

51. Right wingers hate being observed through humor

They are really, really thin skinned. When someone points out that their over-the-top hysterical attacks and fear mongering are silly at best, they call it "Polarizing" and whine about disrespect.

Humor should comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Look at what passes for humor on the right and compare. They think liberals lack a sense of humor because we do not laugh at their sick, racist, sexist bigoted jokes. This week's tweet about former President Carter's cancer by Debbie Schlussel seems to be pretty typical of what passes for humor on the right. Meanwhile, any humor directed at the greed of the super wealthy, their GOP servants, or hypocrite religious leaders is viewed by them as "polarized public discourse".

[rhett o rick]

52. Today's conservatives are ruthlessly greedy for power (money). nm

[nightscanner59]

53. The day they do my job for just 1 day... and

STFU about how workers need to work harder. Because I guarantee most of them would have a major cardiac event during the attempt.

[TNNurse]

55. Respect is EARNED and they have not done that.

I respect people who are fair and kind and take the time to learn about issues.

I am sure there are conservatives who fit that description, they need to speak up and quit letting the ignorant, hateful people speak for them.

[Beartracks]

56. +1000

They DEMAND respect?

Pfft.

==========================

[John Crock]

57. respect?

My earliest memory of republicans on tv is them trying to shout over, interrupt, or dominate the conversation. Still true today. I think it is poor parenting- their mothers should be ashamed. But the question was about when i would respect them. Perhaps when I hear factual information that will benefit the entire country. Not the batshit crazy bullshit that is made up in an effort to slam, disrupt, distort honest dialogue whose sole purpose is to ultimately benefit the 1%.

[tblue37]

58. "Conservatives" here are not really conservative at all. They are radical reactionaries.

They are also usually either uninformed (and consequently easily manipulated); ideologically and emotionally blinded and unreachable; or among those who are benefiting from the manipulation of the other types.

[MissDeeds]

59. When will liberals respect conservatives?

I certainly cannot speak for all liberals, but for myself I will respect them when they are no longer the party of hatred, intolerance, exclusion, malevolence, monied entitlement, prejudice, anti-intellectualism, anti-union, anti-women, anti-choice, pro-war, pro Wall Street, pro corporations, anti working class, anti public education, pro private education...Must I go on?

I do not anticipate respecting them ever in my lifetime. They defy any and all boundaries of rational human ethics.

[L0oniX]

60. When hippies love the establishment.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

92. I was gonna say, "When conservatives respect liberals" which is much less likely....

Especially if the establishment is run by hippies....

Which was the dream over many a bong.

[Martin Eden]

61. I usually put "conservative" in quotation marks

Today's American "conservatism" is an oxymoron. This political movement does not seek to conserve the resources and environment that sustain life on earth. It seeks to tear down the EPA, the New Deal, and the gains of the Civil Rights movement. The only things it conserves are the "values" of an era when "coloreds" and women knew their place and gays had to stay in the closet and wage slaves had not yet formed the strong unions that fought hard to build a healthy middle class.

"Conservatism" ignores science and reason that conflicts with its dogma, and embarks on reckless dangerous interventionist foreign policy that only serves the interests of the military industrial complex we were warned about by a Republican president from a different era.

"Conservatives" pretend to be deficit hawks but they run up the biggest budget deficits with tax breaks for the rich and costly open ended wars. Their long term goal is to "shrink government to a size that can be drowned in a bathtub" and the only way to eliminate popular programs like Medicare and Social Security is to "starve the beast" by bankrupting it.

"Conservatives" prey on the ignorance and prejudice and fear of their voters, convincing religious folks that Christianity is under assault by a Muslim president and liberals and science and equal rights for all citizens. These dire warnings are hammered home on a daily basis by Fox News and talk radio and by preachers who claim to represent the word of God while getting rich selling this snake oil. Representative democracy is being replaced by an oligarchy in which money is "free speech" and candidates grovel before billionaires who have the money to make these politicians their most exalted servants.

[jomin41]

62. When they work to expand voting instead of constricting it.

[catbyte]

66. Oh, puhleeze. I'll respect conservatives when they stop trying to dictate to others how to live,

stop trying to torpedo government, stop declaring war on anybody who's not a rich white guy, until they abandon their whole morally-bankrupt philosophy or hell freezes over. I think that hell will freeze over faster than conservatives obtain even a shred of decency.

[brewens]

67. If you want respect, rate respect. It's always seemed to me that the guy at work whining about not

getting respect never freakin' deserved any.

[tavalon]

72. When will Liberals Respect Conservatives?

I would say, "when they stop lying with every breath.", but then, I suspect I would respect them less, if that's possible.

[ncjustice80]

75. I don't understand- why shoudl I ever respect a conservative?

There is no common ground, everything they are for is pure evil and selfishness. I'll be glad when we finally send the last of them to the dustbin of history.

[MFM008]

79. hows never, is never ok?

[rustbeltvoice]

80. euphemism

For all serious applications, in the United States the political usage of 'conservative' is an euphemism for 'fascist'. In this country there are two political poles: democracy and fascism. It is not a choice between liberal or conservative, it is a choice between democrat and fascist.

[Half-Century Man]

81. Speaking strictly for myself.

I do not give respect.
I am not a respect dispenser, fountain, or dispenser.

You can earn respect.

[Augiedog]

82. Not now, not ever ever ever ever. They forfeited the right to respect long ago.

[Juicy_Bellows]

83. I always respect my enemies.

Always.

Respect and like are two different things. You damn well better respect a rattlesnake.

[catrose]

85. Short version

When they can act respectfully towards other people and grant them the same rights they grant Republican white males, then I might respect them if I can forget all the years of disrespect and bullying.

[jmowreader]

86. Never. That's when.

[jaysunb]

87. If the "real" consevatives ever reappear I will tepidly respect.

But these people that are now labeled "conservatives" have no idea what that means in terms of governance. They're just a bunch of hate filled little people that have banded together to justify their anti social and sociopathic natures.

[DFW]

90. The old Fox Noise semantics game. I'm conservative, but I'm sure as hell not "a" conservative.

I have been with my first and only wife for over 40 years. Worked for the same outfit for 40 years. Two normal children who now earn their own living. No drugs, not even nicotine or alcohol. No religion, no debts, and I believe in CONSERVING natural resources like fresh water, forests, and the oceans. I prefer to think over things rather than make sudden, rash decisions.

In short, I'm conservative. But I'm no Fox Noise "a" conservative.

If you speak Foxese, "a conservative" is a mean-spirited, intolerant, bigoted, control-freak, money-worshiping Republican. But they can't force me to adopt their version of my native language just because they want me to. You can wade into the ocean, but it still doesn't make you a fish, and it definitely won't make you able to grow gills.

There are many Republicans. There are hardly any true conservatives among their ranks.

I am a proud liberal who respects my conservative self. Fox Noise can go play their semantics games by themselves. I'm not playing.

[LeftOfWest]

100. You are a Liberal who conserves.

Thank you for that.

Please don't start 'convoluting conserving' with liberals for sec clinton DFW...

[DFW]

106. That's one way to put it, I suppose.

I really don't have a chosen horse in this race yet. All three major contenders have their strong points and their weak points, and anyone claiming the opposite will have an uphill battle with me. Frankly, I would have preferred that Howard try again, age notwithstanding, but he is very protective of his family life, and if Judy said no way, then it's no way.

I think I'll have a clearer picture who my preference is in 6 or 7 months, maybe sooner if Clinton, Sanders or O'Malley shows a major superiority or a major weakness in the debates or on the campaign trail. It's somewhat more involved living in Europe, as all I get is internet news, most of which is slanted one way or the other. Also, I have never met Sanders or O'Malley, which I would like to do before making up my mind. A friend of mine, Howard's brother, Jim, is a Sanders supporter, so I may get that chance.

I have no connection whatsoever to O'Malley, so unless he shows up at RW at New Year's, that probably won't happen before the Texas primary, which is the only chance I'll have to actually cast a vote for the nominee. The tone of the primary discussions is so shrill on DU, I have tuned them out for the most part. DU went through this in 2008, which, from your number of posts, I take it you might not have witnessed. I offer you a link to a post of mine from back then that might tell you more of why my stance is what it is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3369762

[mrdmk]

91. I respect conservatives and that goes for most anybody that I meet

Just do not expect me to wash their feet and kiss their ass...

[truegrit44]

93. Never.................

and for all the reasons folks have given above, great thread!

[vkkv]

94. We should NEVER - conservatives have been MOSTLY WRONG coming around EVERY corner of history.

The truth is that conservatives have been MOSTLY WRONG coming around EVERY corner of history.

I'll name one really easy one. Gay Marriage - it was supposed to "ruin traditional marriage", okay another, minorities voting, okay more, women voting, civil rights, okay another: Republicans fought against Dems in wanting to help and fight with the Brits & France in WWII until Pearl Harbor was struck. okay, three more, the Roman, Spanish and French Inquisitions, more? The Civil War ( I bet you didn't know that the Republicans were the Big Gov Liberals and the Dems were the conservative state's rights party in the 1800's until the Whig Party collapsed) More? Gays in the military were going "to destroy the military." So far, no news of that.. Renewable energy investment, the environment, the liberal Save The Bay effort in the 70's was a huge success.. The Earth is round and not the center of the Universe by the way.. oh and it's not flat. Bombing and invading Iraq even after Saddam said he would walk out before the bombs fell.. Time will show again and again how conservatives just can't get over their ideology to make the correct social, environmental and economic long-term decisions.

[LeftOfWest]

96. Needed read today kpete.

your work here is very researched and good.

[bl968]

97. Mind views

When conservatives are able to process facts and accordingly adjust their mind views based on them.

[MadashellLynn]

98. The long answer is

it is Republicans who have no respect for the (democrat) party which they continue to mispronounce today. They spent 20 years demonizing the word Liberal and making it synonymous with lazy, stupid, and un-American.

They are the one's who have destroyed civility in our capitol. Remember Dick Cheney telling Patrick Leahy to "Go fuck yourself" on the floor of the Senate?

I still remember the subliminal adds with rats flashing in them when the word democrat was on the screen that the republican party ran.

How much respect have they shown for Barack Obama the last 9 years? Or Jimmy Carter for the last 30 years, even on the day he announces he has cancer?

Republicans remind me of the little kid in elementary who runs around punching everyone, but when someone punches him back he runs to tattle to the teacher.

They will have to start showing some respect before demanding it be shown to them!

[Cosmocat]

103. Its pretty surreal

they are nothing if not incredibly thin skinned.

They really, REALLY, R E A L L Y like to dish it out, as you highlighted.

But, they can't play the role of the victim quick enough.

You really can't have an honest discussion with people like that.

[DonViejo]

102. When Will Liberals Respect Conservatives?

Around the 12th; the 12th of Never

[mdbl]

104. Conservatives don't even respect he election system

They are continually manipulating the election systems for their own gain by using any means possible up to and including intimidation. Should anyone respect that?

[alphafemale]

105. Respect is earned not deserved. nt