scoundrel (or unprincipled person) n.: blackguard
It should be obvious what the problem is if you are ever to win an election in a democracy when you think the other party is a crowd of buffoons in thrall to a cabal of blackguards. To begin with, it means that your campaign discourse must be designed not to persuade voters, but to deceive them. Worse, it precludes your ever examining your opponents’ premises, arguments and conclusions in good faith. (Frank Wilson, “Misunderestimating May Cost You,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 11/14/2004.)
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