At the outset, let me say that I bear you no ill-will, and this should not be construed as a personal attack. I do believe, however, that your post exemplifies the type of mind set that gives birth to RINOs, compromise and, ultimately, defeat.
The problem lies in assuming that the enemy (yes, enemy) is just misguided, selfish, opportunistic or ignorant. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Alinskys, Ayers, Emmanuels and Axelrods of this world are no less evil, and in fact are far more insidious than the Hitlers Stalins and Amins.
In the latter cases, the evil is manifest, readily identifiable and repugnant. It is therefore easier to mobilize good men to fight against it. When it manifests as pragmatic politics, however, good men are lulled into thinking that they do not have to shed blood for their freedom - today.
The left counts on the inherent peace loving nature of those who stand guard against tyranny. They corrupt slowly, incrementally, but in the end totally. That's why they are called "Totalitarian."
This leads to the kind of "reaching across the aisle" that gave us the worst presidential candidate our side has put forth, certainly in my lifetime.
You would do well to recall the words of Ayn Rand, speaking through her character John Galt in "Atlas Shrugged". "In any compromise between good and evil, it is only evil that can profit."
Interesting that an atheist should have a clear understanding of dangers inherent in assuming mere stupidity on the part of one's adversary, while people of faith blindly trust in the good nature of their fellow men.
There is no "garden variety evil". It is an absolute. Just as "good" is absolute. We find ourselves in the conundrum of having to pick a side, while not being dispossessed of the flaws inherent in the "other" side of our own nature.
Our more civilized instincts, our desire to "get along" and our need to deal with these people to some extent in our daily lives make the conscious realization of their true nature uncomfortable. Once in a while, however, they make it easy for us, as those we think of as bumbling morons, momentarily let the Demon inside be seen, if only for a moment.
These are not the faces of misguided, people who you can have lunch with and work things out.
These are demonically possessed sociopaths, whose lunch will be your heart and soul.
(They do, however, frequently use the modern epithet "Yo!" to express how hip they are.)