The Differences Between Left and Conservatives Part II
The 2024 presidential election saw Donald Trump receive a record-breaking number of votes among Black, Latino, and Asian Americans for a Republican candidate. Around the world, many are also voting for conservative leaders in countries that have traditionally supported left-wing politicians. Increasingly, these voters no longer view the right or Conservative parties as groups that only support business interests; instead, they are recognizing that their own values-keeping society safe, financially stable, family-oriented, and supportive of religious freedom-align with conservative ideals.
The dichotomy between left and conservative is not one-size-fits-all. In a free society, most people exist along a spectrum, and election outcomes are shaped as much by current events and the issues candidates campaign on. Yet, how citizens respond to these parties or events often comes down to their affiliated tribe and/or the values they hold.
A tribe can override someone's values if the pressure to conform contradicts their individual ideals. But values can also give extraordinary citizens the backbone to stand up to the group if the tribe’s party line conflicts with their own convictions. What convictions or values have led tribes and individuals to identify as left or right, conservative or communist, liberal or fascist, and libertarian or socialist? And which principles are worth battling for-on the grounds of ideas or even on the soils of war? In a democracy, ideals are up for debate; in a totalitarian system, even conversation can be dangerous. But which ideals are truly worthy of discussion?
God and Society.
For the left, religion is viewed as a private matter that should not influence public life. This perspective became especially visible during the Covid lockdowns, when church gatherings were restricted while sports events, in-person government meetings, and large protests-whether against Donald Trump during the Black Lives Matter movement or in support of Biden’s election-were permitted. It’s also notable that movements such as LGBTQ+ advocacy and other political causes are welcomed in classrooms, yet the Bible is often treated as a forbidden text. While these movements are not religions in the traditional sense, their belief systems and sense of community can be just as dogmatic.
Conservatives, by contrast, generally advocate for a secular government but desire a religious society. For them, a society rooted in faith is a moral one, where people regulate their behavior out of reverence for God or a well-formed conscience-going beyond mere compliance with the law. They argue that this moral foundation discourages people from exploiting loopholes or committing crimes simply because they can get away with it. While some religious fundamentalists do seek to infuse government with religious doctrine, most conservatives prefer a relationship with God through church, community, family, and self.
It’s worth noting that James Madison, often called the “Father of the Constitution,” argued for a strict separation of church and state-not to protect government from religion, but to protect religion from the corrupting influence of government. As Madison wrote, “Religion & Govt. will both exist in greater purity, the less they are mixed together.”
Even though the United States was founded on the principle of separating church and state, its founding documents and national symbols are deeply Christian. “In God We Trust” is the national motto. The Great Seal of the United States depicts the Israelites leaving Egypt. The main inscription on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia comes from Leviticus 25:10: “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof.” And as the Declaration of Independence puts it, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Historically, the Bible was the foundation for parents to teach values to their children. Science, by contrast, is a tool for understanding the world, but it does not prescribe how we ought to act within it. In recent years, even biological sciences have faced criticism if their findings conflict with prevailing social narratives within the woke movement. Science itself cannot respond to this-as it is a method for gathering data, not a source of values or a belief system.
The Worth of the Human Fetus.
For those on the political left, the human fetus is generally not considered to have intrinsic or inherent value; its life can be ended up to whatever point state law allows, and it isn’t regarded as a person. In extreme cases, such as in Communist China, abortion is permitted at any stage of pregnancy. By contrast, conservatives believe that a fetus is a human being from the instant of conception—life itself, sparked by the divine.
This leads to a striking contradiction in the law: If a pregnant woman who wants her baby is attacked, and the fetus dies as a result, the attacker can be charged with homicide. But if the mother chooses abortion, that same life is treated as disposable—unless you count its value to the abortion industry. And that industry is substantial: In the US alone, family planning and abortion clinics generated an estimated $4.3 billion in revenue in 2024. Planned Parenthood, the largest provider, reported nearly $2.1 billion in income last year, with taxpayer funding making up about $699 million—almost $2 million a day. Ultimately, the value of life seems to depend less on its heartbeat, and more on the bottom line.
American Exceptionalism.
For those on the left, American exceptionalism is seen as, at best, boastful and, at worst, toxic. In their view, every proud moment in American history is overshadowed by past sins—no matter how much the nation improves the human condition, its achievements are always eclipsed by old transgressions. On the far left, some even argue that waving the American flag is no different than waving a Nazi banner.
For conservatives, the United States is truly exceptional—a nation that fought a civil war to end slavery, revitalized democracy on the world stage, and saved Europe from both Nazi tyranny and communist expansion. They believe America’s virtues are why people across the globe dream of coming here: to escape oppression, war, or poverty and to claim the rights and opportunities that only America promises. For them, it is the unique system and freedoms found in America that allow individuals to climb the ladder of success in ways that are often impossible elsewhere.
Today, it’s common among younger Americans to express disappointment in their country, sometimes projecting that national critique as a form of self-loathing. During COVID and the BLM protests, some voices even called for the entire system to be dismantled, with groups like Antifa advocating for radical change or outright anarchy.
Greatest Threat to the World.
For leftist ideology, climate change is seen as the greatest existential threat. Since the 1960s, each decade has brought urgent warnings about environmental catastrophe: in the 1960s, predictions of oil running out; in the 1970s, fears of a coming ice age; in the 1980s, dire warnings about acid rain destroying crops; in the 1990s, the ozone hole; in the 2000s, melting ice caps; and in the 2010s, projections of coastal cities underwater due to rising sea levels. Many of these predictions were alarmist and did not materialize as forecasted, though some, like ozone recovery and acid rain reduction, were addressed through policy and technological advances. The most visible, lasting changes have often been economic: higher energy costs and, in some regions, less reliable power grids, with blackouts in places like California and parts of Europe.
For conservatives, the greatest threat to society is human evil—corruption, violence, and the erosion of moral values. While most conservatives acknowledge that climate change is real and agree on the importance of environmental stewardship—such as reducing pollution, protecting natural resources, and addressing issues like overfished oceans or deforestation—they reject policies that could devastate the economy based on existential threats. Many conservatives are open to nuclear energy as a carbon-free solution, but point out that the left often opposes it due to concerns about nuclear waste, without offering clear regulations or alternatives for managing that waste. At the same time, renewable energy sources like wind and solar also produce waste at the end of their life cycles, raising questions about how this waste will be managed differently from that of nuclear or other energy sources.
Middle East Conflict.
For the left, Israel is seen as an expansionist or even colonial state that must either pursue a two-state solution or be removed from the geographical debate altogether. Most protests in the United States not only denounce Israel but also support Palestinian statehood, sometimes even backing groups like Hamas—though not all left-leaning activists go that far. Many of these protests take place on ideological left-wing campuses, where the rhetoric often includes calls "from the river to the sea," a phrase understood by many to mean the complete removal of Israel. The climate has become so charged that Jewish students often feel unsafe or unwelcome at certain universities, especially during times of heightened tension. In some tragic instances, this hostility has escalated to violence, such as the case of Elias Rodriguez, who did not know his victims but deliberately chose them based on their Jewish and Israeli identities. Rodriguez shot and killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., reportedly proclaiming "Free, free Palestine" and stating he acted "for Palestine" and "for Gaza" during his arrest.
For many conservatives, there is a clear recognition that several Middle Eastern states and groups have historically sought Israel’s destruction. Since the modern establishment of Israel, the country has had to stop invasions by Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, while also facing ongoing attacks from terrorist organizations funded by Iran and Qatar. Conservatives believe that if the states surrounding Israel accepted peace, the conflict would end. However, if Israel gave up its arms, it would be destroyed.
The reality for Jews is that, outside of Israel, living openly as a Jew in most Middle Eastern countries carries significant risk. For Palestinians, the unfortunate situation is that Gaza is run by Hamas—a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US and EU—which refuses a two-state solution and rejects Israel’s right to exist. From a conservative perspective, Jews have a historic and moral right to Israel and would prefer a peaceful settlement with the Palestinians, but they do not support a Palestinian state governed by Hamas or controlled by groups hostile to Israel.