Yep, they stoke social wedges intentionally. The Foxes own the hen house when political bribery is legal, as it is here.

Us idiot peasants are encouraged to fight over the quaint social issues either entirely caused by or exacerbated by our rigged economy specifically to keep us divided and at eachother's throats so we never unite and resist the oligarchs as we're robbed blind. The class war was 50 years back, the peasants surrendered without a fight. This is well oiled class occupation. This is Orwell in action.

All the while the Republicans and Neoliberals conspire and get the same marching orders from the same bribers on the oligarch's economic policy dictates. The poories are not permitted a vote on economic policy.

Keep fighting over abortion though. They like that. Even though abortion wouldn't be as big of an issue if people could largely afford to raise children, as abortions tend to be economic decisions. Imho abortion should be legal and available, but the point is we aren't allowed to vote to make child rearing affordable to any working Americans, as that would cut into shareholder profit through taxation. We aren't free to vote for that in any party permitted to have a chance.