You've put into nice clear words what a lot of us instinctively know. Sometimes, the mask can grow into the face, but it's very unlikely that this will happen with the Democrats.
My favorite example of the faux-patriotism of leftist Democrats is their use of the word 'traitor' to describe that half of the country which tried to secede in the last century. These hypocrites' attitude to genuine traitors was revealed when the very liberal City Council of New York voted to honor the Soviet spy Ethel Rosenberg, who helped Stalin get the atomic bomb.
On the other hand, there ARE patriotic Democrats, especially among what is left of their working-class base. Might we see primary contests between representatives of these people, and the fake patriots now running the Party? [ See https://TheLiberalPatriot.com for an example. ]
The really interesting question about whether pretence can become reality lies with the Republican Party leadership, many of whom have become ostensible Trump supporters. We should be deeply suspicious of their sincerity here but ... for some of them, at least, it might become a genuine transformation. (And I'm using 'Trump supporter' as shorthand for 'pro-American', ie for what Trump is seen as by his supporters, for which they are willing to forgive, or at least overlook, his many personal faults.)
Yes, it's true that faux patriotism is a problem on the Left, though at the same time I do think a lot of people on the Right do harm to their own cause by trying to analyze politics through a love-America vs. hate-America lens. For instance, when Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, most right-wingers regarded him as a traitor; I consider him a patriot. The thing is, most political divisions are not driven by a lack of love for America... just differences of opinion about what a "good" future for America will look like. I happen to broadly agree with the GOP's vision of a "good" future, while finding the Dems' vision vapid and unappealing... especially all the prattle about "democracy" when so much of their program is about achieving the de facto disenfranchisement of their political enemies, and indeed even those elements of their own base whom they distrust (i.e. what they did to Bernie Sanders - a real patriot in my mind, though one with deeply naive economic views - in the 2016 primary).
So far it seems to have gone over well. I actually publish most of my articles in the Thinker these days - it doesn't pay but it's any easy outlet to get in - you could probably write for it yourself if you wanted to. (In the five years I've been blogging I've only ever published three articles in paying publications - buy Thinker will reprint 90+% of what I send them).
You've put into nice clear words what a lot of us instinctively know. Sometimes, the mask can grow into the face, but it's very unlikely that this will happen with the Democrats.
My favorite example of the faux-patriotism of leftist Democrats is their use of the word 'traitor' to describe that half of the country which tried to secede in the last century. These hypocrites' attitude to genuine traitors was revealed when the very liberal City Council of New York voted to honor the Soviet spy Ethel Rosenberg, who helped Stalin get the atomic bomb.
On the other hand, there ARE patriotic Democrats, especially among what is left of their working-class base. Might we see primary contests between representatives of these people, and the fake patriots now running the Party? [ See https://TheLiberalPatriot.com for an example. ]
The really interesting question about whether pretence can become reality lies with the Republican Party leadership, many of whom have become ostensible Trump supporters. We should be deeply suspicious of their sincerity here but ... for some of them, at least, it might become a genuine transformation. (And I'm using 'Trump supporter' as shorthand for 'pro-American', ie for what Trump is seen as by his supporters, for which they are willing to forgive, or at least overlook, his many personal faults.)
Doug,
Yes, it's true that faux patriotism is a problem on the Left, though at the same time I do think a lot of people on the Right do harm to their own cause by trying to analyze politics through a love-America vs. hate-America lens. For instance, when Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers, most right-wingers regarded him as a traitor; I consider him a patriot. The thing is, most political divisions are not driven by a lack of love for America... just differences of opinion about what a "good" future for America will look like. I happen to broadly agree with the GOP's vision of a "good" future, while finding the Dems' vision vapid and unappealing... especially all the prattle about "democracy" when so much of their program is about achieving the de facto disenfranchisement of their political enemies, and indeed even those elements of their own base whom they distrust (i.e. what they did to Bernie Sanders - a real patriot in my mind, though one with deeply naive economic views - in the 2016 primary).
Congrats on having this piece published in American Thinker!
It's a great article, and I hope it brings traffic and expands your audience.
In a world fixated on a death spiral I'm not sure we're going to get out of, your voice is calm clear rationality.
So far it seems to have gone over well. I actually publish most of my articles in the Thinker these days - it doesn't pay but it's any easy outlet to get in - you could probably write for it yourself if you wanted to. (In the five years I've been blogging I've only ever published three articles in paying publications - buy Thinker will reprint 90+% of what I send them).
My thoughts exactly.