The Democratic Party faces a dire political threat. Republicans are preparing to cheat their way to victory in the House through gerrymandering; one in five election officials report being threatened because of their jobs; and, needless to say, the last GOP president tried to overturn a democratic election. Passing something good so President Biden can credibly claim to have kept his campaign promises and so the rest of the Democratic Party has a decent record to run on in the midterms next year must be a vital part of any strategy to counter this threat.

Yet the needs of the party and American democracy itself are running headlong into the deep corruption among a large swathe of Democratic lawmakers. It isn’t just a handful of members in swing states who claim they need to coddle special interests to win, either. Neal is from deep-blue Massachusetts, and several Democratic members from safe seats are pushing the SALT cap hike — including Reps. Tom Suozzi (N.Y.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) herself. It’s an open secret that, often, conservative Democratic Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (W.Va.) are serving as cover for fellow Democrats who oppose popular, democratic policies but don’t want to say so in public.

Maybe they just can’t help themselves. Whatever the reason, given a choice between preserving republican self-government and being amoral, money-grubbing corporate puppets, it’s clear what many Democrats choose.