With five weeks until voters elect a new president, the election is boiling down to the hottest of issues. Social issues aren't among them.
"The 2000 and 2004 elections revolved an awful lot around what we would call cultural issues, things like gay marriage … but I don't think 2008 is going to look anything like those. At the moment, it feels to me like it's really the bread and butter economic issues that are the top of the agenda," said Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
That means voters are more concerned about the price of energy, the financial meltdown on Wall Street, the cost of health care and taxes. That is rounded out by the plans for troops in Iraq and terrorism.
But one announcement Aug. 29 may have changed the face of so-called social issues like abortion rights and same-sex marriage.
Sarah Palin joined John McCain on the Republican ticket for the White House. She is a vocal opponent of abortion. With the next president likely to have at least one Supreme Court nominee and the court skewing more conservative, both sides of the issue see a chance for the next administration to have a rare opportunity to influence abortion law.
"Frankly, the selection of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate has brought (social issues) back to the front of the agenda somewhat because she's pro-life and is vocal about it. That has been back on the table to some degree," Burden said.
Some groups in Wisconsin are trying to push voters to consider social issues as they walk into the voting booth.
"For many people, they're fundamental. There are the lines in the sand for how they view candidates. They're never far from the thinking and the analysis that people undergo as they prepare for an election," said Julaine Appling, CEO of the Wisconsin Family Council, a Madison-based nonprofit that lobbies against abortion and same-sex marriage.
Abortion
Abortion rights always has been a heated issue, and some advocacy groups say that debate could figure prominently in the choices Wisconsin residents make in the voting booth.
"They're fundamental to who we are as a people. Our Constitution guarantees us the right to life. That is not an accident, that the right to life is first. The other ones don't matter if you don't have life," Appling said.
Her group distributes literature, hosts speakers and partners with churches across the state.
She admits abortion rights did not weigh heavily on the minds of voters this election until Palin was named as a running mate.
Even though Palin stands firmly against abortion, even groups like NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin are appreciative of the attention she has brought to the issue.
"We're seeing a lot of our activists and voters mobilized because she is so extremely anti-abortion. … We're starting to see our issue get a little more attention among voters and in the press because Sen. McCain chose such an extreme person as his running mate," said Carmen Marg-Patton, political and program director for NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin.
Since then, NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin has been flooded with phone calls of voters asking for information on the candidates' stances.
NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin calls and sends mail to voters and targets independent Republican women who have stated they support abortion rights. Volunteers also write letters to the editor.
Wisconsin residents have leaned increasingly toward presidents who support abortion rights, she said, but more residents than ever are looking for "common ground by supporting prevention-first methods."
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage, another often hot-button issue, has fallen to the wayside — at least in the presidential election.
Glenn Carlson, executive director of Fair Wisconsin, doubts voters will consider same-sex marriage as they cast their vote in the presidential election. Fair Wisconsin is a statewide organization that lobbies for rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
"The other big one is the abortion rights, where it couldn't be clearer the choice between the two presidential candidates. … I think that is much more likely to be a deciding factor for people," he said. "I wish I could say it is the number one issue on people's minds, but I think you and I both know that's far from the truth."
Voters who support same-sex marriage may consider only part of "the entire constellation of social issues," he said.
Instead, Fair Wisconsin focuses its attention on campaigns for the state Legislature. That is where the group thinks politicians will have much more power.
"Of course we'd rather have a president who was supportive of relationship recognition," he said. "The person will be the president of the United States and will have the bully pulpit and have lot of influence in perhaps shaping public opinion, leading the public on this issue."
What will matter
Perhaps it is not worrisome that social issues are overshadowed in an election.
"I would say it's a healthy thing, actually," Burden said. "The two domains where we think the president actually has control of things and is responsible are the economy and foreign policy. … It would seem strange that we would elect a president based on things other than those two issues."
But for those fighting on issues like abortion rights or gay marriage, Burden says there still is hope that they could carry weight in the election.
"If we get into the final days of the campaign in late October and one candidate feels desperate, because they're behind, you may see social issues suddenly show up. That campaign that was sort of flailing around, trying to find a way to rescue themselves in the final days, may throw some things onto the fire."
