Avi K (on Jews being left wing in terms of economics)-
We have a “welfare state” mentality – under halacha, the community had a duty to help the poor – the Beis Din could order you to give more tsadakah when needed. Communities heavily taxed individuals to support the poor. This is unlike the goyim who until the 20th century considered welfare to be something that was none of the government’s business. Whether in Israel or America, Jews take naturally to the idea that the poor should be helped, and that explains why we tend to be comfortable with the left-wing position on government welfare, entitlements, etc.
The traditional conservative position was that giving tsadakah deprived the poor of an incentive to work and created dependency – and therefore one shouldn’t give them anything since it would hurt them in the long run. This was part of the “protestant ethic” in western culture but is alien to our culture. Indeed, one can argue that the introduction of public welfare and the many entitlement programs was an example of Jewish influence in America.