What do you think the core difference is between "liberals" and "conservatives"?

Sadly, I really think that it is. :(

Thanks for your reply. 

I don't think I understand. How is it a matter of chance? And are you saying you agree with what I said about liberals caring about others and conservatives only caring about themselves and those "like them"? 

No that ia not what I am saying. What I am saying is that many republicans care about others and that many liberals care only about themselves. Your question implies it must be either one, or the other for each side in the debate, and that is just plain wrong. People are not all stereotypes.

I'm not generalizing about republicans. I wasn't even talking about republicans and democrats, to be clear. I meant that in my opinion, it all seems to come down to lack of ability to empathize with people who aren't the same as you. Not of the same faith, nationality, socioeconomic status, etc. It's hard for me to understand how the same people who care so passionately about a potential human have so little compassion for living, breathing, actual humans. I just cannot wrap my head around it. 

None of us choose where we're born, to whom we're born or even to be born. People who identify as liberals seem to grasp something called "inequality of life chances". It seems to me that people who identify as conservatives don't acknowledge that we're not all born with the same opportunities. 

You might be right, even though most of what you just said looks like it is copied from a propaganda pamphlet.

At this date though, it is not about fundamental political differences. It is about Trump. Just Trump. How did that idiot ever get nominated? The Republican party is going to have a hard time recovering after backing Trump. This post was edited by JakobA the unAmerican. at May 27, 2017 1:41 PM MDT

I don't even know where to begin. This is truly one of the most contradictory and ludicrous thing I've ever seen. 

If what you said in the first paragraph were true, how do you explain the fact that poor (white) people were and are Trump's biggest supporters? Seems to contradict what you've said, no?

"Long term health of society" is very different from caring about and for others. How does forced abortion of those who aren't going to benefit the long term health of society sound to your right wing Jesus? Right wing Jesus, hehe. Can you show me some bible verses on that? 

It's this sort of venom that really turns so many people away from religion. You do know that, right?

Peace. 

Lots of poor people voted for Trump because they can see their jobs being outsourced to slave economies like China and the establishment not giving a sh*t. Trump has the balls to strike at globalism. Lots of poor people can see that nationalistic policies are in their self interest because they're not stupid.

The left hate nationalism and smear anyone who advocates it as racist. So of course some blue collar people have started to realize the left is just selling them out. 

Your attitude is typical of the left. Focused on the present, blind to the future. Full of self righteousness for those you help, blind to those you hurt. You can't seem to see the indirect effects of your actions. You act like the wealthy are this bottomless pool of money and you can just squeeze without it having any negative effect on poor people. No, when you tax someone more, they have less money to spend into the economy. It doesn't just affect them. It affects society as a whole. It destroys blue collar jobs. When you tax the middle class disproportionately more, you discourage productivity and that makes society as a whole poorer.

It doesn't take a genius to see that any country that borrows more than it produces year on year will eventually go bankrupt. It doesn't take a genius to see that when a country collapses economically mass suffering ensues. Look at what is happening in Venezuela. They are literally starving. The left did that. They must accept the moral responsibility for the suffering they have caused.

People who truly care about others take a long term view of their welfare. Your bleeding heart attitude is the mentality that gives the heroin addict another hit because his withdrawal symptoms hurt. It's in his best interests to suffer a little now to get clean.

Comparing my views to the mass extermination of those who don't benefit society is false. People are entitled to life. It's a right. They are not entitled to free stuff at other people's expense. That's a privilege. When people receive help it should be with gratitude not entitlement. If something cost money, it's not a right.

Jesus preached generosity and charity, not taking by force. What I have said is obviously true. It is YOU that must find some bible verses that suggest he was left wing. Leftism is theft and Jesus wasn't a thief. What the left preach is sloth, envy and entitlement masquerading as generosity. It's pure sin and if Jesus were here, he would condemn it strongly. This post was edited by Zeitgeist at May 27, 2017 7:07 AM MDT

The many GOOD people I've known who happen to be Christians would be disgusted by what you've said. The Jesus you describe is not someone they would model themselves after. 

Do you seriously not know that the Trump family manufactures most of it's crap in countries like China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and Mexico?? Bringing that up is just comical!

Like it or not, we have religious freedom in this country. So all of your talk about Jesus and sin means NOTHING. I'm sure it's a hard pill to swallow, but which version of a magic, mystical man in the sky you subscribe to or if you subscribe to none of them has no impact on anyone but you. You're proof that a person's religious beliefs has nothing to do with what sort of human being they are. 

Savvy, you are casting pearls before swine, I'm sad to say.  At least I read this, but I happen to agree with you, this person is not the sharpest tool in Trump's shed, and yet, probably smarter than most of them.

I'm really hoping that this is more of a persona than an actual person, if you know what I mean. Sadly, I'm afraid I'm wrong. 

I think they need to reread that bit about having no other gods. 

EVERYONE manufactures in cheap labor states because that's the only way to be competitive under the current system. You are just incredibly ignorant of economics. Trump is trying to make it attractive for jobs to return to the U.S.. The fight has to be at the political level. Business people who try to swim against the stream are just condemning themselves to bankruptcy. 

You asked me why a lot of blue collar people support Trump. I answered you. Whether you believe Trump sincere is a different question. You're just changing the subject because you have no counter argument. 

Trump obviously is sincere or the establishment wouldn't hate him so much. If he were just a billionaire on a power trip he would make nice with the establishment and they would kiss his ass. Instead he is waging war against the establishment. He has everything to lose and nothing to gain from this course of action. His chances of getting out of this alive are 50/ 50. Presidents have been assassinated for less.

I never said people aren't free to believe as they choose. If you want to believe Jesus was a raging leftist, knock yourself out. Just don't expect real Christians to join you in your unbiblical delusions. This post was edited by Zeitgeist at May 27, 2017 1:16 PM MDT

Don't expext your fairly-tales to be of consequence in  a secular nation and government.  As it was originally devised and intended anyway.

The founders envisioned a secular state (i.e. a state that doesn't take sides in spiritual debate.) They didn't envision a secular society. They considered religion a pillar of society.

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion . . . Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams

Most of them were deists.

No, EVERYONE does not. Some people choose not to support "cheap labor states" because they put more value on human life than they do money. Hard to believe for someone like you, I know! 

I didn't change the subject at all. You've wandered off topic repeatedly and never once answered the question I posed. I didn't ask why WHITE blue collar people supported Trump, I merely pointed out that your initial assessment, 
"Most people just vote their self interest. Most right wingers would turn into leftists if they ever became poor. Most leftists would swing right if they ever became rich." was incredibly flawed. In my opinion, those who voted for Trump and against their own self interest are just not too bright, and I almost pity them. 

Most of what you're saying is just so ludicrous I can't be bothered to reply. How is Trump waging war with the establishment? By appointing a cabinet full of billionaires?? Talk about delusional! 

The only reason I even mentioned alleged "Christians" is because of the incredible hypocrisy of those who claim to be Christians voting for a scumbag like Trump. I think it's ridiculous to speculate on the political leanings of a man who may or may not have existed thousands of years ago. The few people I've known who actually walked the walk (of Jesus) absolutely believed him to be a compassionate and loving being, not some greedy, merciless, callous bigot. 

This is an embodiment of the unfounded, ignorant crap that the conservatives who at least try to have a political opinion manage to articulate, and in doing so, get other stupid people who have no understanding of how the government/economy works on board with them because ... this guy sounds smart and knows what he's talking about and I'm tired from working min wage and I'm also watching the Bachelorette rn so I don't have time to validify anything he just said, but I do need a better job and it sounds coherent even though I don't really understand it so this is my political opinion now. We have anymore Pringles and beer in the fridge, honey?
THAT is why blue collar workers vote conservative.

Aren't governments, religions, and corporations just made up of people who are liberals / conservatives and democrats /republicans?

I used generally as a weasel word because it's still not an all unifying theory .  There are conservatives in government and there are liberal CEOs and there are even liberal Christians but generally liberals look to government to fix problems while conservatives generally look to religion to fix problems even though this isn't always the case.

I guess an exception is the War on Drugs .  That's a case where liberals usually oppose big government while conservatives usually favor big government. This post was edited by Livvie at May 28, 2017 6:49 AM MDT