You're clearly partial to the strain of thought that to "respect people with different ideas and have a constructive debate" is an intrinsic good. And I agree that's an excellent ideal.

But.

My explanation for what I'm talking about is that it's too pointless and time-intensive to list the GOP's dishonesties. So, I ask people to come up with a list of things they are honest about. Weirdly, no one has been able to help me much with that. Very few even try.

If they did, then they'd earn respect and I'd try to debate constructively. But it takes two to tango.;

So my "blanket assumption" is that the right is too dishonest to be a good-faith partner. If you have some evidence that's not true, I'd like to see it. That’s where the “both sides” problem comes in — respect for people and constructive debate aren't possible if one side of the argument refuses to be respectable or constructive.

The Democrats' consistent mistake is engaging with people who do not intend to return the favor. Clinging to the notion of constructive debate in the face of its impossibility is pointless.