Does your candidate lose ground if you treat the other candidate with respect?

Looking at Facebook this morning, I see people engaged in political debates. Most of them are strikingly illogical and mean-spirited. But that seems to be the way things go.

Is this unavoidable? If you say reasonable things about the opposing candidate are you afraid that undecided people will make the wrong decision? Do people intentionally poison the debate this way so that if the other candidate wins, he knows to expect no cooperation?

Clearly the concept of “loyal opposition” disappeared after the 2008 election. Is that the way you want it?