"At the center of the conservative worldview is a Strict Father model.
This model posits a traditional nuclear family, with the father having primary responsibility for supporting and protecting the family as well as the authority to set overall policy, to set strict rules for the behavior of children, and to enforce the rules. The mother has the day-to-day responsibility for the care of the house, raising the children, and upholding the father's authority. Children must respect and obey their parents; by doing so they build character, that is, self-discipline and self-reliance. Love and nurturance are, of course, a vital part of family life but can never outweigh parental authority, which is itself an expression of love and nurturance—tough love. Self-discipline, self-reliance, and respect for legitimate authority are the crucial things that children must learn. Once children are mature, they are on their own and must depend on their acquired self-discipline to survive. Their self-reliance gives them authority over their own destinies, and parents are not to meddle in their lives."The liberal worldview is based upon the Nurturant Parent model, which he also goes on to describe, and which is not an authoritarian model but more of a caring model.
So, conservatives value the "strong father" values, primarily protection.
But where is the protection? They are not only failing in their duties to protect the people of America, they are stripping protections of the people as fast as they can.
Environment? - the Environmental Protection Agency is destroying as many environmental protections as they can as quickly as they can. The environment suffers, people's health suffers, enjoyment of the beauty and healing properties of the earth suffers. They have taken the EPA from the protectors and turned it over to the predators.
Financial protection? - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been neutered, Dodd-Frand is being neutered, Payday loans are thriving, and the Wall Street predators are sharpening their teeth.
Education? - turning it over to private schools. Some are probably wonderful. Some will be worthless education from predatory "schools" - ala Trump University? Trump school for chumps. And more in that mode to follow from other predators.
Women's reproductive rights? - moving as fast as possible to outlaw abortion now, birth control to follow. Back to the good old days of women barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.
Minorities? - moving as fast as possible to limit minority voting, including rigging the census count to under-count people of color.
Jobs? - Trump's trade wars are hurting and will hurt jobs in America. Even most fools know that trade wars triggered the Great Recession in the '30s.
I know conservative white Christians seem to be thrilled with Trump and his administration, but they also will be drinking polluted water, have vulnerable investments, can be suckered into chump schools, and have reproductive needs and expectations.
There are countless other examples, but I am getting a little sickened thinking about them, so I'll stop here.
In Trump's America the predators are empowered and the people are prey.
