Something else to keep in mind is that liberal/conservative is a false dichotomy. We have at least four major cultures in the USA - some scholars put it as high as eleven - and they each have differing core values.

This accounts for much of the infighting we see in political parties and the various factions that arise.

I'm not so much a progressive Democrat as I am a member of "Yankeedom," as Colin Woodard dubs it.