Reactionaries are extremely conservative, especially opposed to social change, wanting to keep or return to past cultural values. Definitions always seem cut and dried, not allowing for nuance, but this definition perhaps lets us understand what is driven by the Grand Old Tea Party (GOTP, formerly less aptly called the GOP).

Ted Cruz, starkly reminiscent of the McCarthy era, perhaps shows the continued presence of the reactionary force in America, for the reactionary percentage of the electorate in the US has held at near 30% since the 1950s when McCarthyism saw Communists under every bed. Now we have new bogeymen — it’s al Qaeda or terrorists.

The right-wing insurgency is not new. It is just different. This time it’s geared for absolute power – over all of us.

It is driven by more widespread forces in positions of power, perhaps more than any time in our history. These forces are perhaps more unified and more relentless in their pursuit of power with their opposition less drawn together. Some 70% of us, with partial support by the Democratic Party, are less committed and more preoccupied with an entertainment culture.

In a general sense, it seems like the latter days of the Roman Empire when corrupt leadership obfuscated the empire’s structural and moral decline by proving a burgeoning  population with the entertainment of gladiators and circuses. Of course such ready analogies are often used, probably more often used is Hitler and the Nazi era, but historical images have always been cited for visual effect.

Never before has so much money been secretly thrown at such reactionary efforts, greatly due to a right-wing-chosen Supreme Court, opening the floodgates of secret donations in its Citizens United decision. More opportunity for reactionary control came with the gutting of the Voting Rights Act just recently, enabling Republican-led states like Texas to suppress voting by minorities – this to perpetuate reactionary government, favored by the GOTP.

Even the Tea Party is an old idea now captured by right-wing money under the guise of “grass roots.” Most of the participants in early Tea Party rallies were either conservative group staff members or paid employees from congressional offices. Many citizens joined later, feeling betrayed by nefarious tormentors (Wall Street & corporate power grabs). They were radicalized or part of the “30%” group, seeing their efforts as local grass root revolts.

Also different is a culture that no longer has a true Third Estate. Now it’s a media either reactionary like Fox News with a predominately right-wing radio, or the corporate-owned mainstream monoliths.

The radical depth of the Tea Party and its gerrymandered base was underestimated by lackadaisical, and somewhat compromised Democrats leading up to the latest Shutdown – supported by right-wing, money-logged think tanks like the Heritage Group, not to speak of billionaires like the Koch brothers.

Even past reactionaries like Grover Norquist become responsible as the GOTP shut down the government and threatened global financial chaos.

In case you haven’t noticed, a revolutionary plateau of the coup came with the Supreme Court appointing George W. Bush president in 2000. The Democrats and the people were too shocked to do anything about it. Then came 9/11.

Get it in your head. The reactionaries that now control our government stage revolutions. Revolutionaries are relentless — obsessed with power. Money buys power.

Ask the $50 billion Koch brothers – a fortune put together by inheritance and greed. Their current plan is to destroy Obamacare with continuing attacks in critical states, by deceitfully steering young Americans away from enrolling in it – an effort bought with money.

We have a choice: Either fight the revolution or take your greatly reduced economic share and get over it.