In any case your question is based on a false premise, that politicians run for office in order to pull down modest politician salaries. (politics.stackexchange.com)
And when you consider the current crop of politicians running for office, playing it as over the top as possible is probably the best way to go. (blog.bullz-eye.com)
To me and many other voters, it always seems like there is never a perfect politician running for office. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)