Historically, when the GOP wins an election, the PBPs get what they want out of the bargain–power, tax cuts, and deregulation. Reactionaries, however, typically get some warm words on abortion, and, well, nothing else.
This is largely due to the fact that the PBP agenda can be accomplished fairly easily through our political system, whereas the Reactionary wish list includes items that require constitutional amendments or, in some cases, are actually outside the political realm (i.e., victory in the culture wars). Nevertheless, this means that, in practice, Reactionary voters have been little more than cannon fodder for the PBP agenda.
Under these circumstances, is it surprising that the Reactionaries are getting restless? Does it make sense for them to behave “responsibly” in the name of winning the next election when the only real winners are the PBPs?