We know that the fight between tyranny and liberty is a never-ending battle. Our Founding fathers gently warn us repeatedly in their writings the fight must never stop. Perhaps it's character and principles we should look at more than anything. Because ignoble politicians may postulate a false public persona to lead the public astray. Character and principles inevitably give them away.
Character is the active and continuous use of principles.
But character can be flawed or degraded because the individual must make a conscious decision which principle will be followed. If the set of principles put into play are flawed by base designs of corruption or personal aggrandizement, also will the character be flawed. It is by character that we stand to cry no compromise or conciliation with base corruption, abandonment of rule of law or constitutional liberties. Principles are the whole ball of moral and ethical standards so fundamental to the human spirit that they exist as basic truths. They're of intrinsic nature to humanity and one's self.