Too many hot button issues

Do you think politicians go on about hot button issues/wedge issues in order to keep voters distracted? I mean, if you have a pet issue, they will get your attention when they talk about that. People will go back and forth over these issues, instead of really looking into a candidate's background, voting record, past acts, etc. They use their speeches to fire up a crowd, but does it mean anything, really?

Never trust a politician, they are there for their own business, not yours :)