The elephant in the room is that people are stupid and politics is about winning them over by any means. There are only winners and losers and nobody cares how you win when you get immunity and can start doling out lucrative government contracts.

The jackass in the room doesn't realize that you have to really manipulate the dummies and do some serious showmanship so that you can get the real policies you want implemented that give more money and power to your side whilst simultaneously pulling the rug out from the other side, draining their capacity to resist by barraging them with stupid bullshit that consumes their money, power and influence for things that generally have no impact to 99% of people beyond a psychological one.