Do Wedge Issues Still work for Republicans During Hard Economic Times?

[FayeforCure]

It continues to amaze me that voters are so blinded by ideological wedge issues, that they will vote against their own economic interests.................or will they?

Have the tired old wedge issues lost their appeal?

Republican keep offering same old, same old: Lower taxes and a plethora of wedge issues (that hopefully the young voters won't fall for)

You would think that after Bush they would offer a fresh, more productive outlook especially on an issue that has such broad bi-partisan support among the American people (70% approve):

Embryonic Stem Cell Researchers Worried About GOP Contenders
Posted by Alex Heigl on August 7, 2011 5:38 PM


Embryonic stem cell researchers are concerned about the field of potential Republican presidential candidates, virtually all of whom have announced that they would cut federal funding for further stem cell research.

The Boston Globe reported Sunday that nearly the entire GOP field was behind the idea of scaling back stem cell funding, a uniform response that has researchers worried about the future of their field.

"While many of us in the field end up raising private philanthropy to do the work, it is very important that labs have access to NIH dollars so more research can actually be done," Dr. Leonard Zon, president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, told UPI.

Embryonic stem cells can be harvested from embryos donated by fertility clinics. They're considered more useful and widely applicable than non-embryonic cells, but anti-abortion activists with Republican clout want experimentation on them banned.

However, supporters of stem cell experimentation say that the field could produce major breakthroughs and spawn huge new discoveries in the lucrative biotechnology industry.

The Globe noted that the Obama administration greatly expanded the number of specific stem cell lines that could receive federal funding but that most GOP hopefuls have thus far held out on saying exactly how many lines they would remove from the approved list.

http://www.thirdage.com/news/embryonic-stem-cell-researchers-worried-about-gop-contenders_08-08-2011