A political thread, eh? I thought I might as well throw in one of my "grand observations" here. You can tell me if you think it fits well.
Today we are told that the two major schools of political thought are conservatisim and liberalism. However, as people are stating here, sometimes it is hard to draw the lines for such a classification system.
Instead, I have developed what I believe to be more of an accurate classification system: Individualists vs Collectivists
Individualists: MOST conservatives would fall into this category. This group believes in self-reliance, and the power of the individual. If everyone can do their best, society will reach it's greatest heights. This group of people tend to live in rural areas, and engage in more "rugged" activities.
Collectivists: MOST liberals would fall in this category. This group believes that as a whole, a society can be greater than the sum of it's parts. Working together, society will reach it's greatest heights. This group of people tend to live in urban and suburban areas, and engage in more "civilized" activities.
There are dozens and dozens of tendancies I have developed and tested for each group that hold true almost all of the time, but this is actually all based in common sense, and I am sure anyone can draw their own inferences from these.