it's more like... which candidates' policies support, condone and encourage them?  Spot on. Let me add - we also need to consider the ideological foundations of both sides. Progressives are ideologically disposed to believe that if a person fails at something, it was impossible for them to succeed due to some sort of barrier. The responsibility of society (all of us) is either to remove the barrier and help them, or accommodate their failure so they experience no negative consequences or repercussions. Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to be more individualist. If someone else fails at something, they'll condemn the other person for not trying hard enough. When they fail at something themselves, they feel shame. Often, they'll make excuses, and try to deflect responsibility, but they know others are judging them for their failure, so they tend to downplay it and fall back on the its-none-of-your-business card. It's rare to see a conservative to draw attention to their own weaknesses, let alone demand you accommodate them.