Ever since Reagan, Republicans Have Basically Played a Con Game on American Voters.

To be sure, there have been plenty of crooked Democrats. But usually the revelation of their crookedness ended their political careers. What’s striking about today’s Republican landscape is that people who are obvious crooks, con men or worse continue to attract strong support from the party’s base.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/26/opinion/conservatism-honesty-crime-gop.html