People learn from personal experience, and it's been a long time since 1989 (and RR had his faults, too). I'm a little more optimistic, and that depends on how well the current occupant of the White House can sell those winning ideas.
A population that sees no use for principles or morality are NOT going to elect representatives that stand for morality and principles.
They will vote for whomever promises the most free shit, and/or promises the most retribution upon the people in this country they hate. The rest will vote against the other, simply because the other is seen as worse and thus 'save the country'.
I find it fascinating that today, "Conservatives" choose to see no correlation any longer with the decline of biblical morality in the culture and despotic and moronic leaders whom beguile a people into voting them into power. Like the Left, Republicans are just the other side of a uniparty in whom the ends justifies whatever means are used to achieve power.
A morally fit and Constitutionally-minded people would never have let the devious on that list remain in power, or get away with doing what they did. But - we are incrementally grown into a people who are wholly ignorant of our foundations and a people that will not fight for anything, except the right to get our rocks off without consequences, get subsidized by our neighbors, expand government to control every aspect of life, and use that government to punish and silence anything that offends us.
I highly doubt we are going to abolish the forms to which we have become accustomed. Such is history and human nature, and a very rare thing that happens.