With all of the talk of a liberal/conservative divide, and all of the debate that attends it, I got to thinking about just what is the difference between the philosophies? What is it that makes the two seemingly incompatible? Why is it that the Democrat/liberal viewpoint is sliding closer to political irrelevance each and every day?

The answer comes down to the core values that each philosophy holds dear, the type of thinking about issues that each inspires in its adherents.

For the liberal/Democrat way of thinking the core values it seems to engender are the beliefs that everything is political, and that people are basically failures. You see the belief that all things are political played out in all types of nonpolitical issues.

For example, how long did it take for the Democrat party to turn Hurricane Katrina into a purely partisan political issue? The storm was barely over before the Dems were out in front of the cameras accusing the Bush administration of neglecting the people of New Orleans, and accusing them of being racists for not personally evacuating every poor black person in the city.

Another, more shameful example of this attitude was the reaction to the 9/11 attacks. While in the first days after the attacks everyone stood united in our grief, anger, and desire to bring the guilty to justice, it did not take long for the Democrats to break ranks. It was not too long before they were mocking Vice President Cheney for the precautions taken to safeguard him, and they were also quick to paint President Bush as a coward for hopscotching the country in order to keep him safe as well. Never mind that the precautions were taken to keep the country's leadership from being decapitated in a time when no one was quite sure what was going on; for Democrats and liberals of all stripes that was viewed as an opportunity to score political points.

The liberal/Democrat viewpoint also tells people that they are basically failures that need the government to take care of them. They create among their constituents a victim mentality that allows them to fail and have ready made excuses for that failure. If you're gay, the excuse is homophobia; if you're a woman, it's sexism. You know and have heard all the rest; racism, ageism, and whatever other 'ism' that can be found to excuse failure!

And that is the main reason that Democrats/liberals rarely win elections when it matters. They have created a constituent base that is so fractured that they cannot serve them all; as my brother Patrick said it a few days ago, "They have too many backs to scratch and not enough hands!"

They have also internalized the victim mentality and find excuses for their failures, instead of trying to find ways to correct their mistakes. Take Bill Clinton's anger with Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" this morning. When asked about continued criticisms of his handling of the terror threat during his tenure as President, Slick Willie came unglued! It wasn't his fault of course;according to the former Prez, FoxNews was out to get him, Chris Wallace was trying to 'make his bones' by asking the question, he was really engaged but the Bush team dropped the ball in its initial 8 months, blah, blah, blah, wah, wah, wah! But not once did he say simply that he did not recognize the threat that terror posed to the U.S., that he regretted the lack of foresight on the issue, and that he regrets that mistakes were made. That would have been an acceptable response, but instead he goes off on a rant that was designed to place all the blame on the infamous 'vast right-wing conspiracy'.

Conservatives, on the other hand, have in my view a few core values that define it. But notice that I did not link the conservative philosophy and the GOP together, as I did with the Dem/libs. The reason is that the two are not inextricably linked; look at the likes of McCain, Chafee, Specter, or Snowe and you can plainly see that all Republicans aren't conservatives. But it is rare to see a Democrat that is not a liberal. Quick, name me one Democrat that is not a liberal (and you can't use Zell Miller)! Bet you couldn't name one, could you?

The incompatibility between the two philosophies comes down to a few basic points. Point one is that conservatives see people as potential successes instead of as preordained failures. Conservatives believe that if given a fair chance at life that most people can find a way to succeed at what they want to do. And success is not simply measured in money, it is measured in the sense of pride and self worth that comes with knowing that you did the best you could and got as far as your talents would take you.

Point two is that conservatives stress personal accountability in life. It is up to each individual to make a success, or failure out of his life; there are no excuses for the decisions that one makes in life. The belief that success or failure is dependent on the person involved is an animating force in the way that conservatives live their daily lives.

And point three is that conservatives are able to incorporate points one and two into their political philosophy. It is the belief that people can succeed in spite of obstacles that has allowed the conservative movement to gain strength in today's political climate. Conservatives did not look for shadowy conspiracies when they were losing elections in the 1960's and 1970's, they looked at themselves to see what had to change to allow for success. And after doing some soul searching and reassesements of what winning would take, we got the triumph of Ronald Reagan!

And it is the belief that people are accountable fr their own actions, and are responsible for their own lives that is the reason behind the conservative disdain for massive government handouts. Again, look at Katrina for an example; conservative opposition to the FEMA bailouts of the residents of New Orleans was not predicated on race or any of the other popularly held reasons ascribed to conservatives. It was mainly due to the fact that these people had ample warning that the hurricane was coming and chose to stay in harms way, instead of evacuating to safety when warned of the impending danger. And when disaster struck, the taxpayers of the U.S. were stuck paying the tab for the poor decisions made by others.

So if you were wondering what were the sticking points between the two major political philosophies of the day, I hope I have been able to give a little insight on the matter. Because in the end, it all boils down to the competing core values of both.