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Things have gotten so complicated lately in the U.S. political arena that it's difficult to draw straight lines between Liberal-Democrat and Conservative-Republican.
Generally speaking, liberals tend to want a "nurturing family" model of government - one in which Mom & Dad (the government) are there to provide guidance, meet basic needs, and catch you if you fall, but you're basically free to go explore and do whatever you want. This entails a minimum of interference in your personal behavior and only a moderate amount of responsibilty.
Conservatives tend to want a more "traditional authoritative family" model of government - one in which Dad's job is to raise you till you're 18, teach you how to take care of yourself, and then interfere as little as possible. This necessarily requires a certain amount of respect for authority, a strong controlling hand in some areas, somewhat limited freedom if your actions jeopardize the family, and a high amount of responsibility.
There are weird areas where things seem to cross over - conservatives don't want anybody to rock the boat, so although they value individualism over government intervention, they also demand a certain level of conformity. Liberals are very concerned about personal freedoms, but also seem to be more community-oriented in terms of people taking care of each other, not in terms of telling others what to do.
Apologies to cognitive psychologist George Lakoff for chopping his book "Moral Politics" into three sloppy paragraphs.
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"If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."
- Anatole France
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