Without term limits (which will never happen) and only a two party system, none fear the repercussion of the voters. They are too busy lining their own pockets and taking the ego trip to la-la land.
The Republican party abandoned any (and all) true conservative principles the day after Reagan left office...never to look back, only to move on to moderation and to “reach across the isle” to pander to a minority party in office that made them look like whipped dogs for eight years.
It's terminal and can't be fixed unless they actually see their own jobs in jeopardy. The only way to do that is to make the obey the wishes of those they represent!
If I recall correctly, the dems controlled congress durning Reagan’s presidency. Conservatism was primarily a Reagan thing, not necessarily a congressional thing.
Plus we sort of hit an apex where government was getting too big...the cycle is different now and we’ll hit it again. I’m not sure the next leader will be as conservative as Reagan.