I’ve been trying to figure out for a while if DC liberals are purely cynical or if they really believe they’re saving the world. I think Isikoff is somehow both.

I think it really comes down to the media they consume. If you've only gotten your news/political content from TV and newspapers, and also stopped trying in the 90s when you were in your 30s and had "established yourself", then nothing has really changed. They still think politics is one or two west wing gotcha-remarks away from fixing america's problems.