You are missing my point. It is not a question of whether or not the opposition respects us. It is a question of whether or not the VOTERS respect us. If we fight hard and fair, with repect for our opposition, even when they behave in less that respectable ways, then hopefully the voting public will see that we live up to a higher standard than the Democrats, and will reward us with their votes. That's my point.
Look, if you want to play crackback politics all the time, be my guest. Just don't complain when the number of people who turn out to vote drop to all-time lows, and when a majority of people come to the opinion that politicians are unprincipled SOB's who will do anything to win, and when you try to explain why you are different than the opposition the voters laugh in your face.
The voters respect the truth, let's make sure we give it to them. It is unfortunate that the other side works very hard to conceal the truth.