Hey Shark and Shepherd: What happened to the importance of "respect" in our common life?

Rick "Shark and Shepherd" Esenberg, July 11, "Politics as Total War" :

I'd like to think that our common life would be a lot better and our political debates much more productive if we faced each other with a presumption of good faith and respect. I think we'd all be better off if we didn't believe that the proper response to our political opponents was to search and destroy.

Ese on the teabag riots:

But the larger problem here is that Obama has run into Americans stubborn refusal to believe that the chattering classes know what's best for them or that government provision of goods and service don't provide problems of their own.

Stubborn Americans thoughtfully and respectfully weighing in on what's best for them and offering thoughtful critiques of the limits of government: