A politics of suspicion leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy: the cognitive bias of looking for corruption corrupts trust, and any outcome is suspect.
As such, our cynicism is proven correct, despite any possible good that arrives: it is never enough or always about to be overturned. Like a drug, the overuse (abuse) of cynicism leaves us wounded and alone, empty and despairing. We are non-manipulable, but we are also non-participatory, anti-social, and unable to mount a cohesive defense against the ideologues.
It is baffling to think belief, faith, or trust is a necessity for political rehabilitation.