No, but rarely has such a dirty word become so mainstream as the ones the Republicans seem to use; see "liberal" for a long-term one and "activist judge" for a recent example. It just seems to me that the Republicans take existing words and contexts and twist them to serve their own needs. And, again, it's really mainstream. You're hard pressed to find a conservative pundit who doesn't use name-calling as part of their repertoire of "argument". Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Michael Medved all come immediately to mind.

In addition, the Republicans seem to have a stranglehold on using these terms in non-outrageous manners. If I call you a fascist or a nazi, I'm employing hyperbole, and quite obviously, I think. The ill-feeling behind "liberal" and "activist judge" is real, when, in many cases, I think that the speaker might not even really understand what it is that he's talking about. Personally, I'm very proud to be liberal, but words mean what people want them to mean.