Do you want to fix America, or dismantle it?
If Democrats act ashamed of being American, they will lose.
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Me: “Okay, Democrats, there are signs that the overturning of Roe v. Wade might actually be driving some voters back into your camp in time for the midterm elections. You might be able to hold the Senate and limit the damage in the House and at state level elections, as long as you play your cards right.”
The Pima County (AZ) Democratic Party:
“Gallup Shock: Only 38% Proud to be American,” reads the banner headline on the Drudge Report, with an image of the Statue of Liberty shedding a tear. (They totally stole that bit from the one editorial cartoonist who truly matters.) But the actual poll results aren’t as discouraging:
The 38% of U.S. adults who say they are "extremely proud" to be American is the lowest in Gallup's trend, which began in 2001. Still, together with the 27% who are "very proud," 65% of U.S. adults express pride in the nation. Another 22% say they are "moderately proud," while 9% are "only a little" and 4% "not at all" proud.
God knows, the United States of America has its problems. (As a Canadian, pointing them out is my real national sport. In your face, lacrosse.) As I write this, the overturning of Roe is already leading to some horror stories, and there’s been yet another controversial police shooting of an allegedly unarmed African-American man.1 And, of course, the problems with American gun violence, its health care system, and the legacy of slavery and segregation are manifest.
And yet, when brave students in Hong Kong stand up and demand democracy, it’s not the Belgian flag the wave:
The United States of America remains the world’s number one immigrant destination by a wide margin, and the American standard of living is exceptionally high compared to most of the world. Redditors who call the US “a third world country in a Gucci belt” have likely never been anywhere near what could be considered an actual third world country.
Americans are worried about the future of their country, but an overwhelming majority still like living there and want to make it better. Which makes it all the more baffling why some Democrats appear to be going after the 13% who are a “little” proud of their country or not proud at all.
It’s especially ironic considering how many Republicans - supposedly the “patriotic” party - are openly preaching secession if everything doesn’t go their way. (I don’t think this represents even a majority of far-right Republicans, but it’s telling that such rhetoric won’t get you kicked out of the party, in contrast to the truly unforgivable sin of speaking out against a plot to overturn election results by force.)
The opening for a kind of pro-American liberalism - which acknowledges the many ways in which the country has not lived up to its lofty ideals, but also accepts that these ideals are indeed noble and worthy and maps a way toward living up to them - is there for the taking. I think that’s what people expected from Joe Biden, and a few of his fellow Democrats (John Fetterman comes to mind) seem to get it. They have four months to make that case, and make it forcefully.
Or they can preach to the ashamed-to-be-American fringe on social media. Their choice.
I say “allegedly” unarmed because the video reportedly shows him firing at officers from his car. As with most police shooting cases, this one might be more complicated than the media coverage and social media outrage would have you believe.
That said…60 bullet wounds to the body of the deceased is freaking insane.