Every American would do anything (hopefully within the bounds of the law) to lower their tax obligations. And why not? It’s a very American thing to do. Even wealthy politicians who are enticed by socialism can’t help but shop for ways to alleviate their tax bills.

For example: Recall that time when then-Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) was outed for circumnavigating hefty tax rules. In July 2010, the Associated Press reported that Kerry, who then owned a 76-foot, $7 million yacht, was harboring the luxurious vessel not in his native Massachusetts but in Rhode Island. Because of the latter’s far less onerous tax laws, this exempted the senator from paying half a million dollars in Massachusetts taxes.

Of course, he quickly acquiesced. As Fox News later reported, “The Massachusetts senator, after an uproar in his home state over the decision to dock his new $7 million yacht in tax-free Rhode Island, told his state’s tax collector … that he would ‘promptly’ pay all Massachusetts taxes on the yacht.” Kerry responded, “Whether owed or not, we intend to pay the equivalent taxes as if the boat’s home-port were currently in Massachusetts.” How noble of him.

The fact of the matter is that Democrats play this sort of game all the time. Take, as another more recent example, Nancy Pelosi. The House minority leader and one-percenter who asserted that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would harvest “crumbs” and even incite “Armageddon” nevertheless sought “to preserve tax breaks for two of her multi-million-dollar homes one last time before the new tax law kicked in,” according to The Washington Free Beacon.

The report elaborates: “Pelosi and her husband tried to preserve $64,000 in property tax breaks, known as the state and local taxes (SALT) deductions, for her two California homes. The new tax law limits the deduction to $10,000 and went into effect Jan. 1. … Paying the taxes earlier than the 2018 bills require is a smart accounting move that could save the Pelosis tens of thousands of dollars. However, it also illustrates a Republican talking point about the tax bill: that the new law is eliminating tax breaks that primarily benefit the wealthy.”

The problem isn’t necessarily that the Kerrys and Pelosis of the world look to mitigate their tax obligations. The problem comes down to egregious hypocrisy. Their actions are completely at odds with their motives. In 2014, Bernie Sanders paid a tax rate of just 13%. That’s fine as far as ordinary Americans are concerned. Yet it’s completely contrary to Sanders’ own rhetoric. He rails against “the wealthy” time and again about how more of their money should be confiscated to fund socialist measures. Just as long as it’s not his own money. If Democrats really cared about the middle class, they’d be the ones leading by example.