When it comes to driving the wedge between the leaders and them, I suggest to them that the reason social programs and liberal policies are failures are, "those who run the systems are not you, Mary/Joseph". IOW, I place doubt in there mind about the leaders of such policies and not necessarily about the policies or their beliefs.
When it comes to the issue of compassion, I remind them that our nation is largely a Christian nation. And, it is the Chistian belief that we derive our well founded compassion. After all, it was Jesus who gave us the story of the Good Samaritan, not Carl Marx. In addition to that, Jesus promoted wisdom as well as compassion. IOW, let us be caring but let us not be stupid about it. If a social policy is a failure, let us call it a failure and not excuse it by saying ther is not enough funding.
When it comes to the issue of gun control, I suggest that gun control works, just ask Stalin, Mao, Hitler and practically all despots and totaltarian rulers. I also add that taking guns away from all would be fruitless in this country with hundreds of millions of guns already in the hands of citizens. I also suggest that even if we do remove all guns, we rob all future generations of the ability to defend themselves from future tyrants. We may have relative peace now, but what is to say that our grandchildren or our great-granchildren will?
Later.