Liberalism v. Conservatism

I've been pondering some things recently about political correctness, and more specifically politics in general. In discussion of things such as the Black Lives Matters movement, the push for Gender Neutral bathrooms at Dickinson college, and many of the topics discussed this presidential election cycle.

I've never studied Political Political philosophy from the perspective of movements. Rather the one Political Philosophy I have taken focused on the philosophies of political structures. Those of Locke, Hobbes, Mill, and Marx to name a few. This is all to say, that very likely someone much smarter than me has already thought of this and provided much more detail.

Liberalism and Conservatism. Oft understood as Democrat and Republican in American society today. They argue over such this as gun control, abortion, tax policy, plus military spending and intention. The end results of this argument end up all over the map. As Jon Stewart has said



but that seems to miss the mark. There must be one common thread that causes this massive divide between liberals and conservatives. For example, libertarians simply say, less government is better government. A minimalist government is the the thread that connects the arguments.

So what is the thread that connects the liberals? What about the conservatives? They seem to be so at odds with one another that the essentials thread of each group must oppose one another. This is my attempt at discovering picking out the thread.

In life, who ought I to look out for? Who should I seek to protect, both physically and their interests?

The two answers? Either ME or WE.

Perhaps this is an oversimplification but let's take a handful of examples.

Abortion
ME: I believe in MY religion. MY religion says all murder is a sin. Abortion is murder. Therefore we should not allow it.
WE: I believe OTHERS should make the choice that is correct for THEM.

Gun Control
ME: I want to own a gun for MY OWN PERSONAL use, so I can go hunting.
WE: I want to keep OTHERS safe, as guns can kill PEOPLE.

Gender Neutral Bathrooms
ME: Seeing someone who does not conform to MY gender makes ME uncomfortable.
WE: WE need to make sure EVERYONE has a safe space to use the bathroom.

These are obviously incredibly oversimplified arguments, but are rather meant to highlight the common thread in the more actual, real, and complex arguments.

In life, who ought I to look out for? Who should I seek to protect, both physically and their interests?
Is it ME? Is it WE?

This is not intended to come to any sort of conclusion. But rather to open discussion about something that I believe answering could be of vital importance to this country's political health.

Is there a right answer to these question? Is it merely opinion? Ought the grounds of justification be morally-based or pragmatically-based? Some combination of the two? An alternative grounds not yet offered?