Wow. The times, they are a-changin’:

OK …

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.

We’d actually prefer a little more competence, but maybe that’s just us.

They love it. But if they want to sell the rest of us on it, they’re gonna have to make a much stronger case than Cillizza.

https://twitter.com/MiscAlaynieous/status/684481008570249216

https://twitter.com/Ansun_Sayavong/status/684482994715820032

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Related:

‘Enough to make you physically sick’: Media lapdogs swoon over weepy gun grabber Obama

‘Straw men shortage’? Tears of a clown prince: So, what REALLY makes Obama cry?