In Missouri, State Auditor Claire McCaskill took a huge step toward defeating social conservative Senator Jim Talent on Meet the Press with her clear, candid and respectful articulation of her views. From Iraq, to a scandal-plagued Congress, from stem cell research bans to abortion, she demonstrated why American voters are tuning out social conservatives and their no longer subtle manipulations of the truth.

“I respect people who disagree with me on principle.”

Respect. How refreshing after the White House, Congress, State Legislatures and School Boards worked overtime disrespecting and stigmatizing any and everyone that didn’t behave as they were told to by the far right.

Polls indicate that Americans are moving swiftly away from the scandal-plagued President and Congress. Newsweek reports that Democrats are now viewed as being able to handle terrorism, Iraq, the economy, health care, and morality, better than the GOP.

Repeat: voters now view Democrats as having an advantage over the GOP on morality.

That’s not exactly news to many of us, because:

• Supporting a woman’s right to make her own private health decisions does not equate to support for abortion, it simply affords a level of respect and privacy to the individuals most directly involved without stigma or shame.

• Supporting contraception use is respectful of sexually active Americans and the private decisions they want to make about what works best for them, their families, and their health. People see contraception as an important way to reduce unintended pregnancy, and thus abortion. Social conservatives want to make you believe that contraception causes abortion, divorce, and disease. Fear based philosophies ultimately wither, as we are witnessing.

• Supporting comprehensive sexuality education respects our youth by saying, we want to be honest with them about sexuality so that they don’t grow up afraid or ashamed of their body or of the sacred quality of being sexual. It fosters respect for others, honors their choices, and trusts that by educating young people they will use the brains God gave them to make smart decisions. The far right prefers shame, stigma, fear and keeping kids afraid and uninformed.

• Supporting equality for gay people is respectful of diversity and the fact that being forced to repress anything that is as essential to one’s humanity as their sexuality, can lead to unhealthy behavior.

Social conservatives are talking about “holding their noses” and voting Republican because it’s the “right” thing to do.

Independents and moderates are paying more attention to people like Claire McCaskill because when it comes to doing the right thing, they know that starts from a place of respect. If someone is lying, manipulating you with fear, or playing on your emotions, there is very little respect involved.