In much of the same way, the rise of the religious right and, with it, culture wars over “family values” and other highly polarizing issues (for example, immigration) have served to insulate American politics from the sharp rise in economic inequality since the late 1970s. As a result, conservatives have been able to retain power despite their pursuit of economic and social policies that are inimical to the interests of the middle and lower classes.
同样地，宗教右翼的兴起以及随之而起的针对“家族价值观”和其他高度极端化的问题（如移民问题）的文化战争被利用来将美国政治与20世纪70年代末以来的经济不平等性的急剧上升隔离开来。结果是保守派得以保持权力，尽管他们所追求的经济和社会政策与中产阶级和下层人民的利益根本不相符。