If our ideas became fashionable and became the 'Establishment' - the same thuggy types would move to our side -- and they'd become problems all over again...
I think the two key ideas of the American Revolution are: individual liberty is good, and LIMITED government is a preservative of individual liberty.
If the government is small, then the Establishment cannot be oppressive. Of course, the power hungry always want to expand government and accrue power — so the struggle is constant. But to the extent that our ideas are indeed fashionable, then the Establishment is kept in check (by definition). When our ideas become less mainstream, the Establishment grows.
There is endless oscillation. But I would say that since about 1913, the Establishment has grown steadily almost without opposition. Coolidge and Reagan were exceptions, but aside from those two, government just gets bigger and bigger: because our ideas are rarely fashionable.