The far right is finding itself in an awkward position in the wake of Tuesday night's State of the Union address. For years they've been telling us that if we vote for Bush he'll end abortion, same-sex marriage, and embryonic stem cell research. And yet on Tuesday we heard not a word from the President about any of these issues. This prompted some conservatives to suggest that the so-called 'social agenda' may in fact be dead.

It's true that the movement to impose moral values on pluralist America has hit a few stumbling blocks. But if the right is really concerned protecting human life they might try some new and creative solutions. House and Senate Democrats, for instance, are interested in working Republicans to boost the minimum wage, accessibility to health care, union protection, and other support for working families - all of which will have a measurable effect on the abortion rate. In fact, they have even advanced proposals specifically aimed at reducing abortions.

By Lucie Wolken
Missouri Digital News
October 30, 2006

JEFFERSON CITY - A week before the November elections, a national Catholic organization released a voters' guide for voters across the country.

The guide was issued Monday by Catholics United for the Common Good, a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan organization. The guide lists general issues followed by the stance of the Bishops Conference followed by the respective positions of Talent and McCaskill on issues ranging from abortion and capital punishment to climate change and social justice. Included on the site is a voting guide quiz to indicate where a voter's views align the two candidates.

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Boston, MA, November 6, 2006 - Catholics United for the Common Good welcomes an official Church memo that asks parishes to refrain from distributing voting guides produced by outside organizations. The document, written by Cardinal William H. Keeler, Archbishop of Baltimore, repudiates the claim that Church teaching on political responsibility can be boiled down to a narrow range of divisive issues. This move coincides growing belief among Catholic voters that 'kitchen table' issues - such as the Iraq War, health care, corruption, and economic security - deserve serious moral consideration at the polls.

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Religion News Service reported today that Cardinal William H. Keeler, chair of the U.S. Catholic Bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities, has asked parishes not to use voting guides that are not approved by the Church.

The message from Cardinal Keeler settles a debate that began in 2004, when organizations such as the San Diego-based Catholic Answers began a systematic campaign through paid advertisements and printed voting guides to convince Catholics only to consider abortion, same-sex marriage, stem cell research, human cloning, and euthanasia at the voting booth. Many observers viewed this message as an attempt to undermine the Bishops' 2003 Faithful Citizenship voting guide - which lists more than fifty issues relevant to Catholic voters, and characterizes Catholic citizenship as a call to promote "the common good." Partisan organizations such as Fidelis and the Catholic League have actively promoted this narrow view as well.