Daily Archives: June 11, 2024

For young, secular, politically progressive men and women, having children has become something of an afterthought. Liberal conventional wisdom encourages people to spend their 20s on journeys of personal and professional self-discovery and self-fulfillment. Children are treated as a bonus round, something to get to only after completing a long list of achievements: getting a degree, forging a satisfying and well-established career, buying a house, cultivating the ideal romantic partnership.

The standards of readiness for family are at once so high and so vague that its hardly a surprise when people fail to reach them. Indeed, the data suggest that people are having children later than they used to and are having fewer than theyd like.

For progressives, waiting to have children has also become a kind of ethical imperative. Gender equality and female empowerment demand that womens self-advancement not be sacrificed on the altar of motherhood. Securing female autonomy means that under no circumstances should a woman be rushed into a reproductive decision whether by an eager partner or tone-deaf chatter about ticking biological clocks. Unreserved enthusiasm for having children can come across as essentially reactionary.

Over the past four years, weve conducted interviews and surveys with hundreds of young Americans about their attitudes toward having children. These conversations revealed that the success narratives of modern liberal life leave little room for having a family. Women who want kids often come to that realization belatedly, at some point in their early 30s the so-called panic years. If they are lucky, their partner (if they have one) will fall in line. If they are not, they face a choice of returning to the dating pool, freezing their eggs (if they havent done so already), single parenting or giving up their hope of having kids of their own.

In this way, the logic of postponement that has been promoted by liberals and progressives and bolstered by overblown optimism about reproductive technologies robs young people of their agency. How many children they have, and even whether they have them at all, is increasingly a decision made for them by circumstance and cultural convention.

This is not just a recipe for unhappiness; it also reflects a deep confusion. There is nothing inherently unprogressive about embracing the prospect of children. Even Simone de Beauvoir, the philosopher who was among the first to critique reproduction and family as instruments for the oppression of women, acknowledged that shaping the character and intellect of another human being was the most delicate and the most serious undertaking of all. While certain conservative visions of family life such as trad wives and Silicon Valley pronatalism no doubt have little to offer those on the left, our fellow progressives need to stop thinking of having children as a conservative hobbyhorse and reclaim it for what it is: a fundamental human concern.

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Opinion | Whats Stopping Liberals From Having Kids? - The New York Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans have become significantly more likely to identify as liberal in their views on social issues over the past quarter century. In most annual measures since 2015, they have been about equally likely to express having liberal views as moderate and conservative ones -- reflecting a shift from Gallups earliest measures, when liberal perspectives on social issues were a firmly minority viewpoint.

Meanwhile, Americans still lean conservative on economic issues, but the percentage leaning liberal has been trending up slightly.

Both trends toward more liberal views than in the past are driven by U.S. Democrats; neither Republicans nor independents have become more liberal in their views over time. These trends on social and economic views are separate from the slight long-term increase in Americans description of their political views, broadly, as liberal.

Gallups May 1-23 Values and Beliefs survey finds that Americans are currently about equally likely to say their views are conservative (32%), moderate (32%) or liberal (33%) on social issues. Though annual figures have fluctuated, the ideological parity in the latest measure is also reflected in a five-year average of figures from 2020 to 2024.

In Gallups earliest readings on these questions, Americans were more likely to identify as socially conservative than liberal. From 1999 to 2008, a third or more of Americans each identified as conservative or moderate on social issues, while about a quarter or less identified as liberal.

Despite some fluctuation over time, liberal identification on social issues has gradually increased, while conservative and moderate identification has each gradually decreased slightly.

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Americans are currently most likely to describe their views on economic issues as conservative (39%) or moderate (35%), while about a quarter describe their economic views as liberal (23%).

Like Gallup's trend on social issues, Americans have become more likely to describe their views as liberal, though this increase has not led to ideological parity as it has on social issues. The peak in liberal economic identification was recorded in 2021, at 25%; it has exceeded 20% for each of the past five years.

As liberal ideology on economic issues has become a bit more common in the U.S., moderate and conservative views are each down slightly compared with Gallup's earliest measures in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Conservative views on economic issues were particularly common during Barack Obamas first term as president, as the nation was emerging from the Great Recession and as he increased federal spending on economic stimulus and healthcare. From 2009 to 2012, roughly half of Americans expressed a conservative ideology on economic issues -- including a majority of 51% recorded in 2010, during the Tea Party wave that swept through congressional elections that year.

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Though pluralities have expressed conservative views on economic issues throughout Gallups trend, about half of the measures from 1999 to 2024 find conservative and moderate perspectives statistically tied.

The 16-percentage-point distance between the conservative and liberal views on economic issues this year matches the smallest gap in the trend, recorded in 2021.

The overall increase in liberal views on both social and economic issues is driven exclusively by Democrats.

When comparing this years figures with measures taken 10 and 20 years ago, Democrats liberal identification on social issues has increased by 30 points from 2004 to now. On economic issues, Democrats liberal identification has nearly doubled.

Meanwhile, Republicans and independents are no more, and no less, likely to identify as liberal on social or economic issues than they were in 2004 or 2014.

Independents ideological perspectives are nearly exactly what they were in 2004 and 2014. They remain most likely to say their views on both kinds of issues are moderate.

Republicans have become more conservative on social and especially economic issues. They are somewhat less moderate than in the past on social issues and are half as likely now as in 2004 to express moderate views on the economy. As was the case in 2004, few Republicans identify as liberal on either kind of issue.

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These trends toward greater Democratic identification on social and economic issues mirror those seen in Americans ideological identification, generally.

Compared with 2004 and 2014, Republicans have become more conservative and Democrats have become more liberal in their views on both social and economic issues, but not at the same rate. The growth in liberal views among Democrats has outpaced that in conservative views among Republicans, which were already the dominant position among the latter group. As the ideological makeup of political independents has remained steady, the liberalization of Democratic views has altered the national averages on both social and economic issues.

Americans views on economic matters, broadly, still lean more conservative than liberal, despite a growing number of Americans who identify as economically liberal. However, in the wake of landmark changes on LGBTQ+ rights, legalization of marijuana in much of the country, and the Supreme Courts recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, the nation is now less conservative than in the past on social issues, with equal shares identifying as liberal, moderate and conservative.

To stay up to date with the latest Gallup News insights and updates, follow us on X @Gallup.

Learn more about how the Gallup Poll Social Series works.

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

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Increase in Liberal Views Brings Ideological Parity on Social Issues - Gallup.com

Political fragmentation, far-right, national responses to housing, inflation, the war in Ukraine and the efforts required by the European Green Deal may play a role in the painful losses suffered by the liberal Renew group and the Greens following the European elections held between 6-9 June.

The future of environmental policies may be at risk as the greens and liberals came out as the major losers in the European Parliament elections, having lost 18and 23seats, respectively, according to themost recent results today (June 10), compared to the elections held in 2019.

Belgium, France,Germany and Italy are amongkeycountries where liberals and greens suffered heaviestdefeats, often to the benefit of the far right, particularly in Paris and Berlin. Lack of access to decent housing and high inflation rates alongside national responses to the war in Ukraine may also have played a role in the far rights rise and decline of the greens and liberals.

While final results for some EU countries are yet to be announced, the latest projections reveal a clear loss in seats for the Greens/European Free Alliance (EFA) and the liberals from Renew Europe sitting in Brussels and Strasbourg. However, the liberals are eyeing an opportunity to forge a coalition with the centristEuropean Peoples Party (EPP) which consolidated its position as the strongest party, gaining seats for the first time since the 2009 election and the Socialists (S&D),which broadly retained their position, losing fiveseats.

Following the first results of the election night, Philippe Lamberts, Greens/EFA Co-Presidenttoldreportersthat the Greens were the only political force advocating for the environmental protection of the planet, against strong adverse winds in the public opinion in the far right and others too in reference to the votes tallied in the Parliament before the elections,in which the EPP and liberals blocked key climate files.

You may well have a majority between the three of you," Lamberts warned leaders from theEPP, S&D and Renew Europe, adding: "But if you are looking for stability and for responsible policies within the next five years, embracing the various flavours of the far-right, cannot be an option for you.

But the liberals already appear to be making overtures to the centre parties.Commenting on the outcome of the elections at an event today, Didrik de Schaetzen, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europes (ALDE) secretary-general urged the EPP and S&D groups to work together in the spirit of compromise.

Numerically it looks like the three of us [EPP, Renew Europe and S&D] could have a string majority, what matters is the compromise that will come from the discussions, De Schaetzen said.

De Schaetzenreprised the desirefor non-cooperation with the far right at the EU level, despite the significant gains made by its parties, and maintaining a so-called cordon sanitaire to block parties such as Rassmemblent National from participating on parliamentary committees.

His counterpart, Benedetta De Marte, European Green Party s (EGP)secretary-general, acknowledged some issues that are not small between the liberals and the greens at national level and blamed political fragmentation for the rise of the far right.

These ambiguities enable the far right to get where they are, De Marte said today during the event.

When asked, De Marte rejected the notion that the Greens became perceived as an unreliable partner due to their resistance to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) or for advocating very strongly for the European Green Deal, the EUs flagship programme to reach carbon-neutrality by 2050, saying the group hadbeen "reliable and constructive" and that the party's goal is to "change things and not just hold positions".

The Greens secretary-general said the party had recognisedthat it wasnot going to repeat the success of 2019 adding there was a drive[towards climate action]in society that unfortunately we dont see anymore.

Despite the massive loss in France, French liberal lead candidate Valrie Hayer said the outcome of the ballots revealed that no pro-European majority in Parliament is possible withoutthe liberals.

We [Renew Europe] proudly intend to be in the driving seat of the next pro-European coalition for the upcoming five years. Our groups central role will come with a responsibility to make sure our conditions and ambitions are matched, Hayer wrote on X.

Lawmaker Daniel Freund (Germany/Greens), who was re-elected for another term, linked the weak results for the Greens to developments at national level, such as housing and inflation.

"Greens in Germany lost significantly with younger voters. This is alarming. Our campaign was not able to address these voters to show them the urgency of our climate policy, Freund told Euronews.

However, I think what we see in Germany and to a certain extent in France as well is that voters used these European elections to express their dissatisfaction with their national governments,"he added.

James Kanagasooriam, chief research officer at polling platform Focaldata doesnt see the election outcome as a collapse for the greens, despite the tilt to the far-right.

The Greens are down, but not necessarily the population's views on climate change, said Kanagasooriam. The data is clear, EPP voters stand closer to the S&D and Renew than other parties in regards to green issues, and their voters will probably expect policy tracking in that direction, he added.

"Continuing the net-zero transition agenda in this mandate is a strategic choice to reposition the EU on the map of industrial powers," said Neil Makaroff, director at the pan-European think tank Strategic Perspectives, adding: "Such a plan could cement a coalition between the EPP, S&D, Renew and the Greens."

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What went wrong for the EU election-losing Greens and Liberals? - Euronews

This weeks Liberal Media Scream features The View engaging in racial politics and suggesting that minority viewers should stay in their Democratic lane.

On the show, Sunny Hostin was discussing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) giving his support to former President Donald Trump. He is one of Trumps potential picks for a running mate.

Hostin, whose roots are Puerto Rican, accused Donalds of pandering to Trump, though several polls show black voters like the ex-president, especially men, and are moving to the Republican Party after decades of pandering by the Democratic Party.

She said that such black voters are ultra-rare. These black men that he was speaking with, Id love to see them. It would be like looking at unicorns, Hostin said on Fridays show.

From Fridays The View, a show produced by ABC:

JOY BEHAR: Florida congressman Byron Donalds hit a new low when he told a room full of black Republicans that he misses the quote, unquote, good old days. Watch.

BYRON DONALDS, on June 4: During Jim Crow, the black family was together. During Jim Crow, more black people were not just conservative black people have always been conservative-minded but more black people voted conservatively. And then, H.E.W., Lyndon Johnson, and then you go down that road, and now we are where we are.

.

SARA HAINES: Whats scary is when you hear the audio, there are a lot of people going, uh-huh, uh-huh. So it feels like a class needs to be taught to everyone in that room because segregation left you with no choice. Like, you werent picking the family. They were literally making you go to different places. They didnt allow for so, talking about a black person choosing to be with your family and then looking at the greater social scheme and the injustice of that, he must not know what it is? I mean, that seems like a far leap not to understand Jim Crow, segregation, and the separation of the race. I dont understand.

ANA NAVARRO: If he doesnt know, shame on him, because there is nothing worse, I think, than when people achieve certain status and certain rights and dont appreciate, take for granted, the struggles, the deaths, the fights, the marches, everything it took to be able to give Byron Donalds the opportunity he has now because, under Jim Crow, he couldnt vote. He wouldnt have been in Congress. He couldnt have married his wife. Hes married to a lovely woman named Erika, whos white. Interracial marriage was illegal in Florida until 1969. He could have not gone to Florida State University for over 100 years, black students were not admitted to that university. Over 250 blacks were lynched in Florida under Jim Crow.

For him to be waxing nostalgic about that era that elicits so much pain that was such a dark period in the history of the United States is offensive. And for him to be doing it as a black man, as a person of color, is even more offensive. What really drives me crazy, though, is that its, like, every three months, a Republican says something more stupid about black history and slavery, right? I mean, last year, we had Ron DeSantis saying defending that there were good things about slavery, skills that were learned that could be put to good use. Then we had Nikki Haley, who couldnt admit that slavery was the cause for the Civil War.

JOY BEHAR: So, my question to you, Sunny: Is it stupidity, like shesays, or is it something else?

HAINES: I think its pandering. I dont think its stupidity.

BEHAR: To whom?

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HOSTIN: Its pandering to Donald Trump. I thought it was interesting that the framing was a room of black Republicans. Where are they? Where are they? Because if you look at the stats, 77% of 81%, Im sorry, of black men are part of the Democratic Party. Black voters consistently align with the Democratic Party.Ninety, over 95% of black women are part of the Democratic Party. So these black men that he was speaking with, Id love to see them. It would be like looking at unicorns.

And so, I think that the sad thing is, you know, I agree with you, Ana, is that this came from the mouth of a black man, right? And so, if youre pandering yourself and your community and your history to a man like Donald Trump, who is a disgraced, one-term, twice impeached, convicted felon, we get to say now, is even more despicable in this country.

Brent Baker, the vice president of research and publications for the Media Research Center, explains our weekly pick: What a disgusting display of left-wing elitism. To think that, in the name of calling out racism, you think its your place as white people to lecture a black man about his views of the status of the black family and how it has fared over the decades. Liberals just cant allow anyone to deviate from the approved liberal perspective and, if they do, they must be shamed and corrected so they get in line.

Rating: FIVE out of FIVE SCREAMS.

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Liberal Media Scream: The View says black people not allowed to leave the Democratic plantation - Washington Examiner

Former President Donald Trump has questioned whether Taylor Swift's liberal views are genuine, while calling her "unusually beautiful."

"I think she's beautiful very beautiful! I find her very beautiful. I think she's liberal. She probably doesn't like Trump. I hear she's very talented," Trump said.

"I think she's very beautiful, actually unusually beautiful!

"But she is liberal, or is that just an act?" Trump said of Swift in a forthcoming book on the former president's years as a reality star, written by Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh.

During an interview excerpted from the book titled, "Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass," the presumptive Republican nominee for the upcoming presidential elections expressed surprise that a country star could maintain success while being liberal, although Swift transitioned to pop music years ago.

Swift, who has topped the Billboard 200 at least 14 times, including with her recent album "The Tortured Poets Department," has been critical of Trump in the past, accusing him in 2019 of "gaslighting the American public."

The singer, previously rumored to lean Republican during the 2016 election, publicly supported Democratic candidates in 2018 when she endorsed Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for the House of Representatives in Tennessee, citing a shift in her willingness to share her political views due to personal and global events.

In her documentary "Miss Americana," Swift detailed her decision to become politically active, contrasting the current political climate with that of her father's era.

She later endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in the 2020 election. "Under their leadership, I believe America has a chance to start the healing process it so desperately needs," she said at the time.

Swift also criticized Trump in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests in 2020 as she tweeted at the time: "After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? 'When the looting starts the shooting starts'??? We will vote you out in November."

But Swift has yet to make any endorsements for the 2024 election. It was recently reported that Biden's campaign is actively seeking an endorsement from the entertainer for the 2024 presidential race.

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'Is That Just An Act?' Trump Questions 'Unusually Beautiful' Taylor Swift's Liberal Views - International Business Times

A new book chronicling Donald Trumps years as a reality television star is at our doorstep. In just over a week, Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass, authored by Variety co-editor-in-chief, Ramin Setoodeh, is due out and its details willfrom the sounds of itdo anything but shock you.

Now, before you can ask who the hell asked for this, lets just go ahead and look at some of the emerging passages, shall we? At least one will likely be of particular interest to Swifties

Setoodeh spent significant time with Trump between 2021 and 2023 and, for some reason, asked the former president for his thoughts on Taylor Swift.

I think shes beautifulvery beautiful! Trump said. I find her very beautiful. I think shes liberal. She probably doesnt like Trump. I hear shes very talented. I think shes very beautiful, actuallyunusually beautiful! Crazy! Unusually beautiful but liberal is Jezebels ethos, actually.

Given that Swift has publicly aligned herself with Democratic candidates in Tennessee since 2018 (and endorsed President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election), its funny that Trump only thinksshes liberal. According to Setoodeh, Trump was pretty skeptical of whether Swifts support for Democrats was genuine.

She is liberal, or is that just an act? he asked the author during their interview. Shes legitimately liberal? Its not an act? It surprises me that a country star can be successful being liberal. A New Yorker who assumes all country musicians are just gun-slinging, Pabst-swilling hillbillies? Youre kidding me! Never mind Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, The Chicks, and a slew of others, including

Garth Brooks is liberal, Trump exclaimed to Setoodeh. Explain that! How does it happen? Just like, general decency I guess?

According to Variety, Kim Kardashian, Debra Messing, Omarosa Manigault, Geraldo Rivera, Martha Stewart, Arnold Schwarzenegger and a number of other celebrities will also get a mention in the book.

OK, maybe I do need to check this out

The rest is here:

Donald Trump on Taylor Swift: 'Unusually Beautiful' But 'Liberal' - Jezebel

News item: WestJet introduces an UltraBasic fare, a no frills travel option featuring no domestic carry-ons, no changes, no refunds, no loyalty points, a pre-assigned seat at the back of the plane and boarding last. UltraBasic will allow Canadians to travel without paying for additional services they dont value.

Hello and welcome to Air Liberal! I hope youre having a wonderful day. How can I make it better?

Hi, I have a question about foreign interference. I saw the news that Canadas intelligence services have information that some federal politicians have collaborated with foreign governments. It was in that report from a committee of parliamentarians. The all-party group believes that some Canadian politicians may be working for countries such as India and China, and that those foreign governments may be working for them.

Yes sir, youre referring to the report from NSICOP, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.

Thats the one. These allegations are shocking. Incomprehensible. Unprecedented. I dont have the words. What are you going to do about it?

I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to make life better for the middle class and those working hard to join it.

What?

Sorry, wrong talking points. What I meant to say is that we take these serious allegations seriously and are treating them with the utmost seriousness. But before we go any further, I see that you are flying on our UltraBasic Democracy fare.

What?

Its the minimal democratic service. For voters who really dont care, and politicians who cant really be bothered.

I thought I was on the Canada Is The Worlds Greatest Democracy fare.

Oh no, sir. Thats no longer available.

Look, Im just hoping that you can tell me what youre planning on doing to ensure that the people representing us are not semi-witting or witting agents of foreign governments thats how NSICOP put it or reaping financial gain or electoral advantage from colluding with them. And if they were, there would be, like, you know, consequences. A way to stop them. Something. Anything.

Thats an excellent idea sir. You should call the RCMP.

What?

This whole matter is really out of our hands. Thats why even though our government received the NSICOP report in March ...

Whoa, youve known about this since March? Why havent you done anything?

We are acting deliberately. That it looks like we are not acting at all is proof of our maturity and seriousness.

How many of your MPs are named in the report? MPs from other parties? Ministers?

We cant say.

Do you plan on doing anything with the intelligence gathered by our intelligence services?

My talking points say Im supposed to give an answer that is simultaneously positive, obtuse and non-committal, but its been a long day. So Ill just say: No, not really. Not if we can avoid it.

Im confused. Isnt the goal of gathering intelligence to gain knowledge so as to act on it?

But if we use the intelligence we have on foreign interference in our politics, that will reveal to our enemies what we know, and how we know it.

Again, Im not following you. Investigation and prosecution will take years, and probably cant be done without revealing all that secret intelligence. Meanwhile, right now, we have a report from a group of parliamentarians, chaired by a Liberal MP, that even in the redacted form released to the public says a number of unnamed politicians appear to be on the take from foreign governments.

We dont want to spark a witch hunt.

But unless we investigate these unprecedented allegations, and act on what is found, our whole system of government, and every politician in it, will be under a cloud of suspicion. Isnt a loss of faith in Canadian institutions exactly what some of our enemies want? And if theres rising public cynicism, wont its main target be the Liberal government?

We hadnt really thought about that last bit. So maybe our attitude will change. But our starting point is that police should handle it. If time passes and nobody is charged, maybe well all just move on. We also announced on Monday that were willing to support an opposition move to refer the matter to the inquiry probing foreign interference. Just so long as it doesnt name names.

I dont get it. I thought you said you wanted to take this seriously.

Look, even if some unnamed politicians are trading favours with a foreign power, theyre probably just backbench MPs and senators. They have almost no power and they dont know much.

What?

Sorry, did I say that out loud?

You did. Cant you tell me more about why youre so opposed to aggressively pursing these allegations?

No. Not on the ...

Yeah, I know, the UltraBasic Democracy fare.

Enjoy your flight.

View original post here:

Opinion: The Liberal government's response to foreign interference is UltraBasic - The Globe and Mail

Former President Donald Trump pondered whether singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is actually liberal.

Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh asked Trump about Swift during a November 2023 interview for his forthcoming book, Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass.

I think shes beautiful very beautiful! I find her very beautiful. I think shes liberal. She probably doesnt like Trump. I hear shes very talented, Trump said. I think shes very beautiful, actually unusually beautiful!

Variety reported on Monday that Trump also questioned whether Swift has been putting on a show when it comes to her politics.

She is liberal, or is that just an act? Trump asked Setoodeh. Shes legitimately liberal? Its not an act? It surprises me that a country star can be successful being liberal.

When Setoodeh noted that Swift has not released a country album since Red in 2012, Trump replied, Garth Brooks is liberal. Explain that! How does it happen?

Trump opined about Swift in a February post to Truth Social right before the singer showed up at the Super Bowl to watch her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, play in the game.

At the time, some MAGA enthusiasts speculated that Swift got into a relationship with Kelce as part of a political scheme or op in which the music star might endorse President Joe Biden during the Super Bowl or in the months that followed.

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I signed and was responsible for the Music Modernization Act for Taylor Swift and all other Musical Artists. Joe Biden didnt do anything for Taylor, and never will,Trump said.

Trump quipped that there was no way Swift could endorse Biden, whom he described as corrupt, and be disloyal to the man who made her so much money.

He added, Besides that, I like her boyfriend, Travis, even though he may be a Liberal, and probably cant stand me!

Swift has yet to back a presidential candidate in the 2024 contest, but she did endorse Biden in the run-up to the 2020 election and shared a photo of herself holding a plate of cookies decorated to show support for the Democrat ticket.

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Trump Questions Whether 'Unusually Beautiful' Taylor Swift Is 'Legitimately Liberal' - The Daily Wire

Donald Trump theorised that Taylor Swifts liberal leanings may be an act as he praised her talent and beauty, according to a book.

For years Swift, 34, maintained a determined silence on political issues, leading critics to claim she was a secret Republican. However, in 2018 she broke this silence to endorse Democratic Senate candidates in Tennessee, and two years later she backed Joe Biden for president and accused Trump of stoking the fires of white supremacy.

Trump, who usually requires little encouragement to fire back at his critics, adopted a more conciliatory approach to the worlds most popular musician.

Swift, whose Eras tour arrived in the UK on Friday with a concert at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, was described by the former president as unusually beautiful

JANE BARLOW/PA

Speaking in November to Ramin Setoodeh, the author of Apprentice in Wonderland, a book about the reality television show that propelled Trump to

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Trump: 'Beautiful' Taylor Swift may not be the liberal she claims - The Times

In the 1980s and 1990s, I came of age within a Democratic Party and social environment that was unabashedly patriotic. Political liberals of that era often critiqued America's past and present, yet most saw the nation as an imperfect entity striving to meet its high ideals, despite often falling short. The political right, in contrast, seemed dangerously nativist and insufficiently self-reflective.

President Bill Clinton, on whose 1992 campaign I worked, famously declared in his first inaugural speech, "There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." This sentiment encapsulated the spirit of young liberals at the time, who embraced a form of American exceptionalism that celebrated pluralism. In my twenties, I proudly wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the American motto e pluribus unum"out of many, one." This epitomized liberal patriotism.

However, this center-left, optimistic narrative of the American experiment has increasingly given way to a harsh critique of American life, a perspective that is rapidly becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Today's liberals rarely express patriotic sentiment in public, effectively ceding their civic voice to a far left that holds America in contempt. This shift has led to a politics that is both defeatist in tone and alienating to ordinary Americans. A nation that thinks less of itself will inevitably become less. Mainstream liberals urgently need to rediscover their patriotic spirit.

When beloved actress Betty White passed away at 99, my wife began rewatching episodes of The Golden Girls, a mid-1980s sitcom about four aging women navigating their golden years. In one episode, the strong-willed Dorothy lectures her Italian-born mother, Sophia, on the meaning of America. Dorothy reminisces, "When I was a little girl, you told me how much it meant to you when you came here to America for the first time. Do you remember what you thought of when you first saw the Statue of Liberty holding up her torch of freedom? ... Ma, you taught me to love this country. ... You were the first one who put an American flag in my hand."

I was struck by how quaint this monologue seemed in todays cultural context, especially from a show that was at the forefront of social issues like gay rights and sexual harassment. Unfortunately, such overt patriotic sentiment would be considered cringe-worthy in todays liberal circles. A 2023 Gallup poll found that national pride among Democrats has plummeted over the past two decades. In 2003, 65 percent of Democrats felt "extreme pride" in their country; by 2023, this figure had dropped to 29 percent. Among those aged 18 to 34, only 18 percent expressed extreme patriotism, a steep decline from 85 percent in 2013. Gallup noted, "Party identification remains the greatest demographic differentiator in expressions of national pride, and Republicans have been consistently more likely than Democrats and independents to express pride in being American."

On a recent drive through West Virginia, I noticed American flags displayed outside many homes, even in economically depressed coal-mining towns where people could justifiably feel abandoned by their country. Conversely, in my politically blue, economically thriving neighborhood in North Potomac, Maryland, I counted just one American flag in four blocks, unsurprisingly mounted on the doorway of an Eastern European refugee who had fled a repressive Soviet republic. So accustomed had I become to the absence of patriotic sentiment in my area that I found it inspiring when fraternity brothers at UNC Chapel Hill rehoisted the American flag on the campus quad after radical activists had replaced it with a Palestinian flag. The young men locked arms and refused to budge as protestors reportedly hurled bottles, rocks, and insults.

Why have liberals become less patriotic? Some blame the election of Donald Trump and persistent economic inequality. Others point to social media echo chambers that, for example, extol a letter from Osama Bin Laden justifying terrorism against the U.S. Additionally, the rise of an oppressed-oppressor ideology portrays America as inherently racist. Indeed, when universities classify statements like "America is the land of opportunity" and "Everyone can succeed in this society" as microaggressions, it is unsurprising that many students develop negative attitudes toward their country.

A few Democrats understand that a politics of self-loathing is unsustainable. Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, both elected in 2022, successfully campaigned on liberal policies that emphasized freedom and American exceptionalism. While President Biden may still embody the old flag-waving sensibility, the larger progressive political class that rose to power with him exudes little passion for the country, and Biden's recent demoralizing speech at Morehouse College suggests he has been influenced by this sentiment.

In the upcoming elections, it wouldn't be surprising if many ordinary citizens choose churlish nativism over a politics devoid of national pride. Liberals desperately need to reclaim their patriotic spirit. Without it, they risk alienating themselves from the very people they aim to serve and represent. Reaffirming a love for America, despite its flaws, is crucial for fostering a political environment where constructive criticism and national pride coexist. Only then can the Democratic Party hope to inspire and unite the diverse populace it seeks to champion.

Hill Opinion Piece

Inspired By: The Hill 2024-06-11

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The Waning Patriotism of Modern Liberals: A Call to Rediscover National Pride - ASEAN NOW