Comment: "People of any political stripe will acknowledge sound performance when they see it."

BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAAA!  Have you been living under a rock for the past 20 yrs?
Based on my experience, as soon as someone takes out a political party membership card, their IQ drops by 50 points as a matter of course.
The people you're describing exist as a slim minority of the voting base in this country. Most voters are rabid partisans who wouldn't have something nice to say about their political opponents if their lives depended on it.