2 people arguing about politics is actually 4 people. You1 hides behind You2 and backseat drives the argument with Them2 hiding behind Them1. The argument is happening at all because You2 and Them2 want to connect despite being afraid of each other. You1 and Them1 don't care.
This is why lying is 1. Prevalent and yet 2. Controversial in politics. Political influence is higher when true self and political self seem congruent but political advantage is higher when those 2 things are further apart (if you are a sociopath which most pols are)