principled opponents are welcome when politics is a clash of value systems, each of which is in some way valid; a competition between basically well-intentioned people who see the world differently.

because the complicated business of politics is to negotiate agreements between groups with different interests with the object of finding a common way forward.

it became, not even a conflict of interests, but instead an “our team no matter what”, degenerative, brutal struggle for office when one side AND ONLY ONE SIDE with righteous indignation adopted the tactic that only the Dems are and can be capable of behaving despicably while they themselves run roughshod over it all.