As I have posted at length in other threads, "conservative" and "liberal" are so abused in American politics that they are often used to describe the polar opposite of their, you know, meaning. When someone describes himself as a "conservative," I usually think, "Good luck with whatever you mean when you say that." The same for self-described liberals. The words have lost all meaning.

Second the reference to EMFM's thread. Until you go issue-by-issue, it's very hard to get a real grip on another person's politics.