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

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