You’re actually on to something: after all, not all of us are Social Conservatives, some of us believe in small government, period, and not government pushing ANY social theories, no matter how benign. . . Nose of the camel, and all that follows. .
As more forces united to weaken our social conservatism, the more they replaced it with giant and all powerful government, in fact, only their capture of our government could give them the force and power it took to marginalise the social conservatives, most of the lefts gains were from about 1935 to 1975 but social conservatives slowed their growth a little by getting Ronald Reagan in office.
Social conservatives created this nation, can we bring it back to it's pre sixties ways? no, the 1965 immigration act and the destruction of the American culture won't allow that future, but still, social conservatives can slow the growth of the pro-government, anti social conservative movement.
The left and right in America is pretty much the division of the social conservatives (traditional America), and the anti social conservatives (the last 80 years).