Republicans vs. Democrats. It's not conservatives vs. liberals, it's authoritarians vs. progressives.

It's Authoritarians (Royalty lovers - L'estate, c'est moi) vs. Progressives (All men are created equal)

Republicans are more Authoritarian than Conservative. Conservatives want to pick an imaginary time in the past and declare it to be perfect. Authoritarians have a Father figure complex. Whatever the Father says is right. Anything else is immoral. [1]  So even though there is a streak of Conservatism in the Republican party, it's not really the basis of their morality. Their morality is handed to them by their Father, whatever he says is moral. To disagree with him is immoral. Pretty simple, easy for people who are too tired to think for themselves.

In contrast, the moral authority of Democrats comes from their Progressive, American ideals.

Progressives believe in the

• Declaration of Independence:
• Life Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
• All men are created equal
• The people agree on how they will be governed
• No Royal authority is accepted
• No one is above the law
• The Gettysburg Address:
• Government of the people
• By the people
• For the people

And the people care for each other and work through the government to provide public resources for all. You know, like flood insurance. We pool our resources and share the awesome results: roads, sewers, armies, regulated markets, health care, medicare, social security. public education, the internet. And we stop others from destroying these things by regulations: Don't pollute, don't cheat investors, don't lie for personal gain, network neutrality.

On the other hand, Republicans are all about being moral by following an all-knowing Father. No questioning the rules-giver! It's Strict Father Morality. They must uphold the Father's authority. This is why they are so enamored with made up religions. They need someone to tell them what is right, they don't want to take the mental effort to figure it out on their own. They are also completely tribal. Only our Father knows best; even if it's the same idea, if it's not from our Father, it can't be good!(This is why Republican ideas used by Democrats (Affordable Care Act) can't be good. Why? Because a Democrat supports them. They ain't in the in-circle so screw 'em.) The Father also must punish the children and the wives if they don't follow his fanciful moral laws. Especially if they are just doing things to feel good, that's punishable by physical discipline. If the discipline doesn't work, it's the child's fault. If the child doesn't prosper, they must not be disciplined enough, they can't be moral and so they deserve their poverty. 

There's a strict Moral Hierarchy that drives the Republicans and drives their laws. Yes, these authoritarians are the same ones that established slavery.

The Conservative Moral Hierarchy:
• God above Man
• Man above Nature
• The Disciplined (Strong) above the Undisciplined (Weak)
• The Rich above the Poor
• Employers above Employees
• Adults above Children
• Western culture above other cultures
• America above other countries
• Men above Women
• Whites above Nonwhites
• Christians above non-Christians
• Straights above Gays

And my in-group against yours. That is why they work so hard to dehumanize their opponents. It's not a joke. They really want to believe their opponents aren't human and not worthy of respect or Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. They believe that is only for their group, hence they can't help but follow a  fundamentally racist ideology. This is why they have a hard time hiding & denying it. They know it is wrong and they are ashamed about it. It's a huge issue with their moral code, they see it and they don't know what to do about it. This is why they attack when it is pointed out to them; even though it's a fundamental tenet of their faith they wish to believe they are good (like everyone) and American. Since these two ideas clash, they are forever screaming in protest that they truly believe in the American dream, even though they actually just believe in bowing to the Father figure.

So we can now see where their legislation comes from. Give tax breaks to the rich because they are the most moral because they are rich, success must show moral superiority. Progressives know that success just reflects might, if you can steal from society Republican's think it must be moral because it's successful. Republicans can't treat everyone equally. It's against their moral code. This is why they support companies that pollute and kill poor people, hate unions, hate non-whites. Those people have failed and are morally inferior and deserve to be treated badly, even if the Republican is in one of those classes themselves! Don't help the poor or the disadvantaged, they deserve it because of their lack of morals. 

In other words they want to live in a world run by Royalty, the very thing that Americans got rid of when they formed their own country. But we didn't kick all the Loyalists out. We left about 35% of the population as Royalty supporting religious fanatics, because the majority of Americans, the Progressives, believe everyone should be treated equally and fairly. 

Sad to say that Authoritarians know how to exploit this. They have no qualms treating people differently, in dehumanizing those lower down in their hierarchy, they actually revel in it to show their fealty to the Father figure!

However, this is about to change. Free speech is awesome. Getting rid of heresy is awesome! Hateful speech targeting groups of others with death, physical threats and harassment is not. Many other countries have figured out how to do protect themselves from the Authoritarians. Look at Germany recovering from the Father of all Father cults, the Nazis.

Will America stand up to the Republican Authoritarian minority or will they allow them to continue to ruin this nation?

Do you want to strangle the last best hope of human kind (America) or do you want to be a slave to your Father?

It's up to you. 

Thanks for reading.

 -Dr. Mike

[1] George Lakoff  -  https://georgelakoff.com/2017/07/01/two-questions-about-trump-and-republicans-that-stump-progressives/  The man who understands it all. He gives advice on how to convert Authoritarians into Progressives. Framing is the key. Daddy isn't the state. The state is for providing public goods to help everyone. You can't be successful unless you work together. And not just locally, but globally.