The Real Political Divide: Attitudes Toward America

I think the difference between liberals and conservatives goes deeper than attitudes toward America. Thomas Sowell, in his book A Conflict of Visions, makes a strong case for the difference as a fundamental disagreement over human nature. Conservatives hold a "constrained view" of man, recognizing that we (including experts) are inherently limited in our ability to understand and direct economic and social activities, and so favor limited government and diffuse decision making. The Founding Fathers based their system of checks and balances on this belief. Liberals believe in man's perfectibility, that experts can lead the way to social and economic justice, and that we can ultimately create a "heaven on earth." Obama has used those...