I think there might be something deeper going on than just "having their worldview validated" or "lust for vindication". It's also that the destructive and part

I think there might be something deeper going on than just "having their worldview validated" or "lust for vindication". It's also that the destructive and party-focused style of politics championed by Newt Gingrich has become deeply sown and has shaped how Congress functions. It used to be that if one's favored candidate didn't get elected, you'd still trust that the country's political leadership would take seriously their responsibility to govern and to do so in the best interests of everyone. Now it seems that the political leadership is most serious about party loyalty and appeasing the radical side of their base.