TODD BOULDIN
Director, the Pepperdine Voyage, and Asst. Visiting of Social Science
1. What are the social issues at the forefront of campaign 2008?
Social issues, or what some would call “moral” issues, again are playing a significant role in the consideration of voters as they choose candidates for the presidency in 2008. However, polls of likely voters and exit polls reflect a diminished interest in these issues in this election so far. The economy, immigration and the war in Iraq figure much higher in the calculation of voters at this time, as those seem more urgent to the majority of Democratic and Republican voters.
Social issues range from welfare, to gun control, to abortion rights and to gay rights. They concern matters of race, age, gender and sexual orientation, so they are naturally charged with emotional response and deeply held religious and moral convictions. Since 1980, evangelical and fundamentalist voters have made “pro-life” (anti-abortion rights) and “pro-family” (anti-gay rights) policies a litmus test for many voters who view homosexual rights and abortion rights as moral evils that must be banned or limited by the federal government. These issues were definitive in the decisions of many Christian Republican voters in the 2000 and 2004 elections, and they also were definitive for many women and gay Democratic voters who defended their rights against perceived threats by President Bush and the Republican Congress. From the polling done so far in 2008, it does not appear that these issues will be front and center for most voters in either party as they choose their candidate for president.
The decline in those who are voting on these issues alone has happened for several reasons. Abortion rates are falling drastically without legislative action as society increasingly views it as a moral evil. None of the current top contenders in the 2008 election favor homosexual marriage rights. Another factor in the decline in those who make these issues the litmus test of their vote is that evangelical voters have broadened the scope of “moral” issues that they will consider when they vote for a candidate. A recent CBS poll of evangelical voters showed that global poverty is their No. 1 moral concern, followed by abortion at a far distance and then genocide. Gay rights did not even make the top three list of concerns that will inspire these voters. I will focus here on the two issues that typically drive “values voters:” abortion and gay rights.
2. What do Republicans and Democrats believe about abortion rights?
The issue of abortion rights at the federal level is largely one over whether candidates would maintain or overturn abortion rights as guaranteed by the 1973 Supreme Court decision “Roe v. Wade.” The decision overturned all federal and state laws that restricted abortion up until the time of “viability” (24 to 28 weeks), and guaranteed the right of an abortion for women’s “health.” The Republican party generally supports the overturning of that decision by a constitutional ban on abortion or other restrictions, along with required parental notification by teens and a ban on the use of federal funds for abortion services. The Democratic party generally affirms the rights of women “to choose” to have an abortion within the boundaries set forth by Roe.
It is difficult to stereotype what Democrats and Republicans believe about abortion rights because there are “pro-life” and “pro-choice” individuals in both parties. For example, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pro-life, and former Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is pro-choice. Therefore, we must look at the positions of the individual candidates. The top Republican candidates in the race now largely have the same positions regarding abortion rights. They favor overturning Roe, they support the ban on partial birth abortions and they favor parental notification. One discrepancy between the candidates is over the issue of federal funding for stem cell research, which McCain and Romney support and Huckabee and Paul oppose. The Democratic candidates also lean in the direction of their party platform, supporting Roe, opposing parental notification and supporting stem cell research. Senator Clinton has called abortion a moral “evil” and has favored certain federal restrictions on abortion in the post-viability stage.
3. What do Democrats and Republicans believe about gay rights?
Gay rights include a host of issues that range from funding for HIV/AIDS research, to hospital visitation rights for gay partners, to employment nondiscrimination rights, to overturning the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy concerning gays in the military and to gay civil unions or marriage rights. Republicans generally oppose an expansion of these rights to gay, lesbian and transgendered persons and Democrats generally favor an expansion of federal guarantees of these rights to these persons.
However, again, there are some exceptions on both sides between candidates. Libertarians typically favor state solutions to these issues, or non-governmental involvement altogether (for example, marriage should not be sanctioned by the government — rather the government should enforce contracts between individuals without regard to religious sentiments).
All Democratic candidates in the race currently favor these rights for gay and lesbian persons: employment non-discrimination (ENDA), equal tax treatment for partners, visitation rights, inheritance rights, a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” a right to civil unions, hate crimes penalties and increased funding for HIV/AIDS research. The leading Democratic candidates do not support a federal marriage right. Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee favor a constitutional ban on gay marriage rights. John McCain has indicated that he supports “contracts” between gay and lesbian persons, which has been interpreted to mean that he supports civil unions. None of the candidates favor a repeal of military policies or a gay marriage right.
02-07-2008
