Paging all men! WaPo's Chris Cillizza thinks it's 'a good thing' Obama cried today

Sarah D. | 5:06 PM on January 05, 2016

Wow. The times, they are a-changin’:

Why men should cry more in public https://t.co/VCRaWQRmih https://t.co/8FVObWrMQp

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) January 5, 2016

Why men should cry more in public https://t.co/Zy2BEhrE58

— Post Politics (@postpolitics) January 5, 2016

President Obama cried in public today. That's a good thing. https://t.co/uZh0sofbkz pic.twitter.com/2Kn6txV60q

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) January 5, 2016

OK …

https://twitter.com/insunnyvale/status/684480741149937665

Cillizza writes:

Now, by this point, some of you have undoubtedly condemned my pro-male crying views as nothing more than a thinly-veiled defense of my secret hero Barack Obama. Nope! I am an on-the-record defender of John Boehner’s crying too. Boehner, the former speaker of the House, brought male crying into the national spotlight, after all. He cried when Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress last year. He cried in 2011 when he became speaker. He cried in front of Arnold Palmer. This is a man who knows crying. (And, yes, Politico has a photo gallery entitled “15 Times John Boehner Cried.”

On a slightly more serious note, only the most cynical among us can truly believe that Obama or Boehner — or other lachrymose male pols (or people) — are crying on demand. And, the idea that crying makes you “wimpy” or “soft” feels like a belief from a bygone era. I want politicians who care enough about issues and people to be brought to tears every once in a while. Speaking to a room of people who have lost loved ones to gun violence is an emotional moment — no matter how you feel about the broader issue of guns. Ditto bringing the head of your faith to Congress, the fulfillment of a lifetime goal.