The most pathetic thing about this Slate article isn’t that it’s entirely directed at a strawman. Author Katy Waldman appears to be under the impression that critics of Chief Justice Roberts’s Obamacare decision believe that nobody should ever change his mind. No, it’s this aside: “We tend to assume that every time a public official changes his mind, it’s because he never really believed his original talking points. Either that or his earlier views hold firm, but he has opted to play-act for political advantage. . . . Take the reaction to President Obama’s endorsement of gay marriage. Many pundits found it almost impossible to imagine that POTUS’ stance had truly, organically evolved over the years—even if those years were notable for bringing homosexuality more into the mainstream.” Nobody who questions Obama’s sincerity believes it is impossible for a person, or even for a politician, to change his opinion about same-sex marriage. Everyone is aware of the shift in public opinion on the issue. The reason people were and are skeptical about Obama is, well, every single aspect of his record on this issue. People aren’t being cynical when they react realistically to cynical behavior.