Is it so hard to put yourself in someone else's shoes, jeez. I am guessing you have read about this for most of your lives, or as has some have said lived with it your whole lives.
Here is the basics of all this. Conservatives prioritize their issues. There is a hierarchy to what is important. I personally think marijuana and prostitution should be legalized but I not going to put much energy into it. Abortion; I'll be there.
As an aside I
think progressives think more along the lines of some larger system as a way to fix something, then the details can be worked out later. I.e. Socialism/greater state control will lead to a better society in general. At least that is what I think they think. Please elaborate anyone.
Abortion. Stop killing people, prosecute people for murder. A government that cannot effectively prosecute people for murder isn't much of a government; illegitimate.
You have all heard this but I'll restate. Humans have fundamental value as humans. Rights cannot be taken away; ignored but not taken. So why do conservatives not vote for social programs, esp for young moms??? Several reasons, quickly
-Families are the fundamental unit of society and extended family are to help when someone falls on hard times
-Most conservatives also have a economic libertarian bent.
-While they might personally give you the shirt off their back if they met someone in need, passing along through the government has several problems; corruption, waste, not prioritizing it properly
-they give to their church which they know helps those in need(perhaps not to the extent that government does but nonetheless). "Hey, if the progressives (thereby a greater percentage of those in society) went to church and donated then we wouldn't need social programs at all."
-(the stickler) Why are the moms/parents in that position to begin with? What we all know, they consider it immoral behavior to have sex out of wedlock. You might not like that at all but that is just it. Yes, they feel bad for the kid(s) but don't know what would help without rewarding/not punishing the parents.
-Dislike of idleness. Find a way to make dead beat dads pay child support and conservatives will beat down the door for increasing government power.
edit-so in conclusion, yes abortion is very important. Life is the first liberty, without it nothing else is possible. Helping moms on hard times is important too, but isn't paramount and it isn't to say they would not get help elsewhere. Whereas a child who is about to be killed by their own mother is detestable(remember the family point at the beginning).
Guns. I get how there can be some disagreement about violence and gun violence and statistics etc. But why liberals (Britain) wants to be rid of all guns is a little confusing. At some point all societies become dictatorial and need to be curtailed. I think most conservatives understand this basic idea of history. Ok, Ok, yes, the deer rifle is not stopping the US military and jets, and Apache helicopters but they will make this country ungovernable.
Immigration. They vote for democrats. That simple; self preservation. I get if you are a politician how this could work as good fodder to your constituency to call others racist for this, but it seems like it is backfiring; see Trump 2016. Older asians used to vote for Republicans but now most immigrants vote liberal. A little old but ...
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/22/are-unauthorized-immigrants-overwhelmingly-democrats/PC culture. People don't like change, esp as they get older. I personally don't care as long as the school I pay taxes for isn't trying to teach sex ed to 2nd graders or whatever. I think they perceive, rightly or not, that a lot of the loose morals of Hollywood, TV or whatever they are looking at is negatively influencing their teenage kids, or the kids their kids are hanging out with, (Caitlyn Jenner was Bruce on KuwtK, in case you need a reference). Some of this is their own fault. They grew up watching Leave it to Beaver and assumed TV was a decent baby sitter for kids, and in no case is it.
So why is Trump acceptable? Because despite being the incarnation of antithesis of all of those things, he promised to deliver, he is rich enough to not have to bend the knee to any interest group, and, as was evidence by the media correspondence dinner, he had an axe to grind, much like conservative america. I doubt this is a new normal, an ideologue who throws bones to his voters and they keep reelecting him or those who support him, (my own governor McMaster...). If a democrat promised to leave gun laws as they are, took some abortion curbing initiatives, like he cared about unborn babies instead of considering them human waste, and maybe came up with some cake compromise, it would really cool the enthusiasm of a lot of conservatives.