President Barack Obama's re-election puts Republicans on notice. No matter what we do, the media will portray us as extreme, venal, stupid or antiwoman. The GOP nominee must bear the burden of admittedly medieval statements on pregnancy and rape — uttered by Senate hopefuls Richard Mourdock in Indiana and Todd Akin of Missouri. Mitt Romney renounced the statements — and still they tarnished the GOP brand.
On the other side, all Democrats are moderates. Party bigs need never explain why Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts senator-elect, padded her credentials as an American Indian. Likewise, how Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. coasted to re-election even though he says he is being treated for depression and hasn't worked since June. Not only do the Democrats' bad actors not stain the ticket, they win.
Voters might tell pollsters they're looking for moderates who are willing to work across the aisle. Ha. Massachusetts just fired Sen. Scott Brown, who voted with the GOP 54 percent of the time in 2011. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., sided with his party in 96 percent of votes.
Democrats nag that Republicans must move to the center to win. When is the last time you heard that a Democrat lost an election by moving too far to the left?
After losing office in 2010 because of his loose-cannon ways — he once called Federal Reserve adviser Linda Robertson a "K Street whore" — Alan Grayson of Florida has won a House seat again. California voters finally ousted crazy-mouth Rep. Pete Stark, but only for another Democrat.
I've long believed elections reflect which side voters hate more. If so, 50 percent of Americans hate Republicans and 48 percent hate Democrats.
The polarization can only deepen. The media spilled out Romney gaffes — "binders full of women," 47 percent of America "dependent on government," and "corporations are people."
What Romney said was more important than what Obama didn't do. There was little room for analysis on what Obama's proposed tax increase would do to reduce the deficit (hardly anything), the President's fumbling of the "grand bargain" or his lack of a serious plan to revitalize the economy.
This is how partisans change a country. They convince the public that a viewpoint is not only wrong but, worse, illegitimate, and the battle is won. They get what they want and keep moving the bar.
Saunders writes for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her email address is dsaunders@sfchronicle.com.