As someone who has the Twitter handle @CynicChristian, this is a story that appeals to me: People talk about cynicism like it’s a negative trait, but James Taranto writes that cynicism is the only appropriate response to politics today.
Cynicism is often, as we’ve noted, a product of disappointed idealism–of naiveté being crushed by reality. If Obama’s supporters have been turning cynical, it is because the falseness of his promises is finally becoming undeniable. Take ObamaCare. He promised to accomplish the impossible: to guarantee health care to everyone, offering both higher quality and lower cost than under the (admittedly far from optimal) status quo ante.
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[Dwarf activist Robert] Reich acknowledges that ObamaCare “is hardly perfect,” but he insists “the president cannot re-negotiate the Affordable Care Act” because that would mean giving in to the Republicans: “If you give in to bullies, their bullying only escalates.” America is stuck with this monstrous law because the alternative would be too costly to Obama’s pride. Disgust and cynicism seem an entirely appropriate reaction.
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