"It's Fundamentally About Challenging or Sustaining Traditional Hierarchy"

"The actual lineup of positions on social and economic issues doesn't make sense if you assume that conservatives are, as they claim, defenders of personal liberty on all fronts. But it makes perfect sense if you suppose that conservatism is instead about preserving traditional forms of authority: employers over workers, patriarchs over families. A strong social safety net undermines the first, because it empowers workers to demand more or quit; permissive social policy undermines the second in obvious ways.

"And I suppose that you have to say that modern liberalism is in some sense the obverse—it is about creating a society that is more fluid as well as fairer."

Paul Krugman in The New York Times looks at political differences.


Andrew Sabl at The Washington Monthly builds on Krugman's points.