I think that's typically considered the difference between a "politican" and a "statesman" (or statesperson)
Politicians care about winning elections and staying in power, whereas statesmen actually give a damn about the future over getting eternally re-elected on empty promises.
The problem is that politicians run the show, so if statesman (or legislators) want to get things done, they have to play the political game anyways. Becoming politicians by default.
Which is, frankly, a ridiculous concept. If you only ever consider your own wants, compromise (a necessary concept in any non-authoritarian system) is impossible.
I think this is what makes for an interesting villain in general though across all media. That uncomfortable feeling of relating to them or seeing they have a point even though their actions are clearly reprehensible
They count on us dragging each other down, because they want to believe we're all as greedy and sociopathic as they are. It helps them hurt us guilt free to believe that.
That's what McCarthyism was all about, attacking, shaming, and scarlet lettering Americans who did the unthinkable and empathized and encouraged ...gasp... cooperation with others rather than gleefully competing against them.