The culture wars may still be raging but will they bring voters to the polls? In 2004, many on the left and right argued that ballot initiatives on gay marriage and abortion helped galvanize the conservative base. So what does the electoral landscape look like this year? There are ballot initiatives in a number of states—from Prop 8 in California to an anti-abortion measure in South Dakota. But progressives have also succeeded in putting their own ballot initiatives forward and in many states like Montana, attempts to get anti-abortion or gay marriage measures onto the ballot failed.

So what’s happening and is class war the new culture war? We are joined by journalist Michelle Goldberg, the author of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism; Abby Scher senior editor of The Public Eye; Kristina Wilfore executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center; and Rose Aguilar the host of Your Call on KALW in San Francisco and the author of Red Highways: A Liberal’s Journey into the Heartland.

Then Cintas workers speak out. On March 6, 2007 Eleazar Torres-Gomez was killed after being dragged into a 300-degree industrial dryer. One year after his death Cintas employees launched an effort to force the company to improve its workplace safety record. Have the company’s policies changed? UNITE HERE’s Safety Director Eric Frumin and Communications Director Matt Painter provide an update.

Finally, will the Democratic Party learn that running for cover from issues like gay rights and abortion doesn’t work? Listen up.

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