The last 12 years of Republican rule can be summed up thusly:

"Republicans brandished divisive social issues in order to distract Americans from their efforts to funnel taxpayer money to Republican political donor corporations."

Think about it. In the last 12 years did we see a federal ban on gay marriage? Did we see a federal ban on abortion? Did we see a federal insertion of prayer into public schools? Did we see a repeal of the 1964 Civil Rights Act? Did we see a federal codification of marriage as between one man and one woman? Did we see a flag burning Amendment come out of Congress? Did we see English enshrined as our national language? Did we see any of the Republicans vaunted social agenda get enacted at all?

Republicans controlled Congress for 12 years. Republicans controlled the federal government totally for the last 6 years. And yet not one piece of their social agenda was enacted.