Writing in New York magazine, liberal Jonathan Chait admits he judges people at least in part based on their politics. His judgment of me wouldn't be flattering, I expect. That said, I have to agree with Chait that I too form opinions about others at least in part based on their politics.
My primary beef with liberals is my conviction that they confuse what they wish to be true, particularly about other human beings, with what is in fact true. I view their regard for others as unconditional, at least in the abstract, while I believe regard for other adults is (and should be) conditional on them upholding their end of the social contract.
Liberals believe many, perhaps most, people are the victims of vast social forces entirely beyond their control, pushed hither and thither by the tides of history, as dependent as children. To be sure such things happen in war zones or areas of extreme disaster.
Conservatives believe many, perhaps most, people are in fact the captains of their own destiny. Yes, there are tides and currents in the waters in which they swim, but at the end of the day the choices they make - often whether to forego immediate gratification for future gain - determine their outcomes.
Handing adults things which they have not earned is a way to destroy them, not little things but big things like the monies on which to live. People need to earn their way in life, whatever is done to allow them to avoid doing so is destructive of their character, and of society.
