I’ve been thinking about the simplest valuable difference between conservatives and liberals. My best shot so far is “most conservatives trust authority, but most liberals do not.” One corollary is “exposed deceitful conservatives make people liberal.”
I think “trust” explains why democrats tend to be counter-culture, want unions, and appreciate the separation of powers. It explains why conservatives tend to like the military, Boy Scouts, and other establishments that rely on hierarchy. If it’s accurate, then the easiest way to make society more liberal is to make people distrust authority. Perhaps this is why the “uranium cake” statement could have been powerful: it would have illustrated that Bush is a liar–an authority figure not to be trusted.