The biggest hot button issues are abortion and gay marriage.
Why are social issues more likely to push hot buttons than economic ones? Just about any given economic issue (like taxes, the deficit, business regulations, labor issues, etc.) will have a bigger impact on more people on a day-to-day basis.
The Republicans get to set the agenda and they choose winning issues for themselves. It's that simple.
Some economic issues are winning issues.
For example, if the Democrats filibuster this death tax bill, the GOP will be wise to make it an issue in the 2006 congressional elections.
Also, Reagan ran almost entirely on economic issues. This was the first "social issues" campaign in a while.
