Perhaps it has something to do with her own political party putting the demonization of government at the top of their list for decades.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor called the declining public approval of the high court a “great disappointment” and suggested the ruling in Bush v. Gore may have sparked the public’s loss of faith in the judicial branch. In the past, when the public is asked about the three branches of government, the court has generally had, the juridical branch has had the highest respect among the three, and now it’s about the same for all, and it’s all down,” said ,” O’Connor, In an interview aired Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation. “So that’s a great disappointment to me to see.”

The Republican party sees profit in destroying any and all trust in government, and they’ve been doing so for decades. Especially at it concerns the courts, it’s the Republicans who have been admonished for making repeated threats against judges here and here.

The rhetoric takes its toll.

To O’Connor’s credit, she’s called out the Republicans before for their anti-court hate rhetoric. The problem is, we have a party that wants to arm the populace just in case government becomes evil, and then the party turns around and tells the armed populace that government has in fact become evil.

And then we’re surprised when their minions respond accordingly.