1. Indifference to human suffering

a. Conservatives are indifferent, which takes two forms:

• The soft version – Life is unfair. Get over it.
• The hard version – If people are suffering, it’s their own damn fault.

b. Liberals are not indifferent to human suffering

• Yes, life is unfair. That’s why we should do something to address that.

2. Role of government:

a. Conservatives are against it always. (Of course, as Dean Baker and others often points out, that’s generally not true when it serves their people.)

b. Liberals are for it in a limited way (which distinguishes them from socialists).