Regarding Republicans:

I used to divide my vote fairly evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but as the Republicans have moved to the right and adopted more extreme positions, I've found it harder to do.  The defeat of Richard Lugar in this spring's primary was the last straw.  Aside from their extreme views and unwillingness to compromise, the three things that bother me most about today's Republican leadership are 1)  they embrace and celebrate ignorance, showing what can only be seen as a contempt for science, for knowledge and learning, that is not only appalling but downright dangerous, 2)  they appear to be guided entirely by selfishness and lack of compassion, very much in keeping with the doctrines of Ayn Rand, and 3)  they seem to have wholeheartedly adopted Hitler's technique of the big lie (see Mein Kampf), i.e., if one tells a colossal falsehood often enough, most of the public will come to believe it (see Rachel Maddow's compilation at http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/09/07/13731433-chronicling-mitts-mendacity-vol-xxxiii?lite).  These are not nice people, and most of us will suffer if they gain control of the government.  Whatever the shortcomings of the Democrats, and they have plenty, they are dwarfed by those of the Republicans.