You taking about the elected officials, or the voters? You'll have a much harder time finding politicians who are legitimately good people, let alone republicans.
I used to work for Republicans, much to my chagrin. To your point: the elected officials know they are misleading ignorant average people. They understand exactly what they are doing, ESPECIALLY when they're at their most hypocritical. I heard it from their lips repeatedly. They are all fucked in the head, even in personal interactions. It's trashier WWE.