This severing of the linkages between the general and the specific is a stock tool of politicians. An example from my home state of Iowa came from Sen. Tom Harkin. He criticized those who oppose freedom of choice in abortion. He said conservatives are inconsistent when they call for less governmental intrusion but then demand control of what is one of the most private areas of a person's life. Conservative examples of such unintentional hypocrisy also abound.
Politicians are easy targets to criticize.
You can readily proclaim your commitment to personal freedom and responsibility when the opponent is a two-dimensional image on television. It may be much harder to speak up with someone who can directly affect the conditions of your personal life or the job at which you work. It's this brand of concrete, nitty-gritty courage when confronted with immediate opposition that reveals the true defenders and heroes of the principles upon which the United States was founded. Such people rarely make the newspapers, let alone the headlines. Yet without the foundation for liberty constructed by such brave individuals throughout our history, our nation would long ago have collapsed.