There is little time to waste–four years passes quickly. Catholics have an urgent mission. The election wasn’t about who the next president would be. And, the election wasn’t about the economy, despite our fiscal peril. It was a massive culture clash; a fight cleverly picked by team Obama to force a cultural battle on the nation. We were ill prepared.

A survey of the liberal magazines, papers, and web posts clearly indicate the Democrats understand their victory as a cultural victory, rather than a political victory. Democrats and Independents chose social issues even in the face of an economic Armageddon. Blog after blog, columns, op-ed pieces and feature articles by Democratic commentators pointedly say that women’s rights, same-sex unions and “fairness” prevailed. Oddly, this is good news–because we agree.

The battle IS about the culture, not the economy. I would not move to a nation with a robust economy but a sewage culture.

Team Obama understood the cultural imperative of their base–and played hard ball. They lied outright on the matter of “The war on women” and taxes for the middle class (“fairness”). They pandered to the gay agenda, the disaffected black communities, and liberals with social policy wish lists.

In short, Obama and cohorts hinted at a cultural civil war and cowed many moderates into adopting the “fairness” mantra: Fairness to women, fairness to gays, fairness to immigrants.

Our challenge now is to educate and persuade well meaning persons, people who truly are of good will, that “fairness” isn’t possible where abortion and euthanasia and the attack on marriage prevails. And we must do it without projecting an image of “unfairness” or bigotry.

No culture can stand on the foundation of 50 million aborted citizens. No culture will prosper, economically or peacefully, under a regime that promotes abortion, same-sex unions, euthanasia or cloning. Where death is the desire of one group against another group (the unborn, the inform, the elderly) how can peace be achieved?

Does this stand on life make us “one issue” voters. Yes. But then, if slavery were still legal, would you suspend all other considerations until the nation had resolved the issue in favor of freedom?

Women in particular need to take the Catholic message into the public square. It is women who are used and abused in the culture war–they are duped into thinking abortion is a right. They have not been shown how abortion damages women, families and the fabric of culture. They have not been shown how the ;legalization of abortion makes it difficult for a woman to say “no.” This “right” has done nothing but lead to the devaluing of all women, the devaluing of children and marriage, and finally, the message of abortion is that might makes right–no wonder that euthanasia is a growing cause adopted by abortion-rights advocates. The “culture of death” can be shown as the unifying thread that runs through all of the liberal platform.

There is more to come in this space on Women in the Public Square. Below is a link to Bishop DiMarzio of Brooklyn’s column before the election on women’s issues. Note that he well understood the issue of the election was NOT the economy or jobs. You’ll find it worthwhile.

by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

As we head into the final weeks of the presidential campaign, I cannot help but be preoccupied by the tone of the debate surrounding what is being referred to as “women’s issues.” This language seems to be code for abortion rights and now a mandate upon employers to offer contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients to employees. You would not be wrong for expecting the central issue of this campaign to be employment and the economy, as this is certainly a woman’s issue. Consider that 26 percent of households are now headed by women. Let us also keep in mind the many other households where the women are important contributors to the financial stability of their families. Read the Bishop’s full column here