Ross Douthat had an op-ed which interested me. He argued both conservatives and liberals have divisions, basically along two dimensions: trust in people and trust in expertise.
Conservatives have over their history distrusted democracy, the mob. That continues today in attempts to limit voting. What's newish is conservative dislike of experts, of science. Education used to be a conservative force but now both science and education are associated with change.
Liberals have a history of expanding the right to vote, which continues. But since the Progressive era they've developed a belief in educated elites, particularly science and social science.
The tensions on both sides make for instability.
(The above is what I took from the essay without going back to doublecheck my summary.)
Douthat's analysis works for me as a liberal. I don't agree with some liberal positions, but I maintain my faith in science.
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