a structural weakness of the Democratic Party relative to the Republican Party is the difference in how corruption is perceived.

corrupt Republicans are bold, cigar-chomping caudillos, unapologetic winners who can’t be bothered with your whining.

but Democrats are always on about “Democracy” and “institutions” and “rule of law”. they can’t embrace corruption like a winner, so their indulgings come off as cagey, hypocritical, obvious but pedantically denied, weak.