Cynicism About Government Is Hard to Escape

But we can do it if we choose a different politics based on personal honesty and the common good.

Long eras of politics are generally dominated by major events such as the two wars and depression that defined the early to mid-twentieth century and the incredible American economic boom and global power that followed. These events determined the framework for public debate and the policy decisions and strategic calculations that shaped how the two parties approached voters in elections. Democrats mainly established the public response to the two wars and the economic rebuild after the Great Depression, while Republicans led the deregulatory and tax correction to big government intervention in the back end. Both parties during the last century operated under the basic assumption that government should advance national economic and security interests, serve as a partner and check on the private sector, and provide important social insurance measures that markets alone cannot provide.

Political eras are also shaped by the prevailing psychological state of the public. Trust in public officials, belief in our national values, and general optimism about the direction of the country were more pronounced in the last century, even with partisan rancor and periods of skepticism about government spending and concerns about corruption or immoral politicians (e.g., the Watergate scandal, Iran-Contra, and Bill Clinton’s intern affair.)

Today, however, the overwhelming public mood is cynicism—deep distrust of public institutions and the belief that those who lead us are selfish, greedy, dishonest, and incompetent.

This is not merely the well-documented rise of partisan polarization wherein Republicans hate Democrats, Democrats hate Republicans, independents hate both parties, and ideologically aligned media and online operations fuel the hate daily. Rather, political cynicism today means that many Americans, regardless of partisan affiliation, have come to despise the government itself and politics writ large, viewing it as a rotten enterprise filled with self-serving and corrupt people who can’t do anything right.

Cynicism is hard to deny. Take a seat on any barstool in America and describe the current political situation to a total stranger, and you’ll soon get nods of approval: “Uh-huh, that’s the truth. Screw them all.” (Along with discussion of more pressing matters like, “Why can’t the Ravens win a clutch game?” if you’re in any bar in Baltimore where I live.)

This deeply rooted cynicism has produced three outcomes in modern American politics:

• First, sitting governments have almost no leeway with the public and rapidly lose support and legitimacy outside of their core backers regardless of what they do right or wrong;

• Second, the opposition, assuming it has its act together, is always better positioned to take advantage of cynicism in elections without having to fully articulate a coherent alternative; and

• Third, these first two trends combine into an endless cycle of “politics without winners” that teeters back and forth between party control of government with no sustainable majorities or lasting policy changes as failure breeds more cynicism that yields additional anger, despair, and disengagement among voters.

Analysts like to call this current mood a “populist” era, which is true in terms of dominant political factions and policy orientations in many countries. But more precisely, at least in America, it’s an era of cynicism. And Americans have every right to be cynical about government and politics over the past quarter century. Look at the results: multiple contested elections that take weeks to decide and end up in courts, the Iraq War and “war on terrorism” excesses, the Great Recession and Wall Street bailouts, the Covid response and subsequent overreaction, inflation, inequality, partisan gerrymandering wars, dark money campaigns, welfare fraud, tax cheats, huge public debt, more illegitimate and failed wars, and now fears of AI-induced catastrophe for workers.

America is still a rich and powerful country, but its government is widely perceived as inept and hostile to the interests of most people, with policies that either don’t work or are designed to serve the wealthy rather than working- and middle-class families.

This has produced highly unstable politics. Trump succeeds Obama and reverses everything he did but quickly loses public backing. Trump supporters believe his opposition is illegitimate, and then Trump claims the 2020 election was stolen. Biden comes into office on the back of this distrust, reverses everything Trump did, fails miserably on immigration and other matters, and loses public support within a year. Trump rides back into office with public disgust of Biden and Democrats and concerns about the economy, reverses everything Biden did, and again loses public support in less than a year. Democrats in turn say Trump and his supporters are illegitimate, “fascist,” and undemocratic.

Who knows exactly what will happen in 2028 when we don’t have Trump on the ballot? But the cycle of cynicism will likely continue.

Let’s face it, although Trump has clear strengths that address a demand for change among many Americans, being straightforward and honest with people and trying to find accommodation with his opponents to pursue common goals is not one of them. Perceptions of the current president are baked in at this point. He’s not likely to reverse public cynicism or restore trust in government over the next three years. Likewise, Biden promised a return to calmer and less confrontational politics in 2021 but delivered the opposite in pursuit of leftist goals and then misled voters about his age-related health decline. Voters won’t soon forget this. Nor will they forget Democrats’ extreme cultural politics over the past decade, their failed immigration and crime policies, and their partisan legislation that spent a gazillion dollars, which seemingly went up in smoke. Until Democrats confront and fix their horrendous image with voters, they are also unlikely to end the era of public cynicism and restore trust.

Around and around we go.

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Here’s my stab at not being cynical. It may be possible to reverse (or at least halt) some of this political cynicism by being clear-eyed about what is needed in terms of future presidential and other political leadership.

What America needs in 2028 and beyond are true patriots and ethical leaders from either party, or a new one, committed to fully renouncing the politics of the past and moving beyond the era of cynicism. This would mean no more pro-Trump and anti-Trump political wars. No more treating other Americans as enemies based on their vote preference or religion or regional background. No more campaigns napalming Americans with negative ads, false and misleading claims in the media, and fantastical promises that can’t be fulfilled.

What is needed is a new era of political realism and personal honesty. If, by some miracle, politicians like this could emerge inside of a party and win general elections, they must resist the urge to cater to ideologues in power, govern with real transparency, admit mistakes and take steps to correct policy errors, be willing to talk honestly with critics and skeptics, and bring opponents to the table. Maybe with this leadership reset, public cynicism about government could abate (at least temporarily).

I get it; this suggestion sounds whimsical and impossible.

But the age of American cynicism will not end with more populist attacks or technocratic “deliverism” or fantasies about one-man rule with no legal constraints. It can only be overcome by a new generation of Americans deciding they’ve had enough, recommitting to America’s core values of liberty and equality for all, and acting with integrity, self-restraint, and personal decency.

One can only hope for better politics, moral leaders, and effective government—and make it happen as we celebrate our country’s 250th anniversary.