If you look at the actual dollar amounts that have been “gifted” to politicians in the weeks surrounding key votes that they flipped from their public stance on, it’s… Depressingly low.

Like “this politician sold out 11 million of their voters for less than the cost of a used car.”

Honestly if they decided “nah fuck that, I’m gonna take small kickbacks here and there for the next 50 years as I enrich my own constituents lives and they choose to reelect me year after year because I delivered them everything they need to thrive instead of taking one pathetic lump sum” they would not only make more money (most of them, we can’t all be supreme court members accepting millions in bribes while turning a blind eye to the would-be-dictator our spouses tried to help overthrow the government we work for)

But nah. Like corporate stooges, they are too short sighted and weak to see that long term profits are better than short term gains.