The other thing that sustains the kind of behavior we’re seeing within the GOP is obstinate / defiant syndrome (aka wagon circling, institutional defensiveness, cult mentality) where the mere perception of an external threat to the group motivates cohesiveness within the group and further suppresses introspection and reflection. The members become so preoccupied with their existential struggle that they lose their individuality completely, which is especially ironic in this case because of the Republican foundational myth of rugged individualism.