Election Day Patriotism
Two news offerings on Wednesday caught my eye. The first was a column by Robin Abcarian of the Los Angeles Times, “Are Kamala Harris' Democrats taking back the flag-waving patriotism claimed by Republicans?”
“Patriotism” means many things to many people. But one thing should be obvious to anyone lucky enough to be a citizen of this country: No political party has a lock on it.
For Republicans, that should have become uncomfortably clear during last week’s Democratic National Convention, when the party of traditionally unherdable cats became a flag-waving, Born in the U.S.A.-singing single-celled organism.
“For everyone here and everyone watching, I want you to proudly claim your patriotism,” said Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA officer who served in Iraq. “You are here because you love your country. Do not give an inch to pretenders who wrap themselves in the flag but spit in the face of freedoms it represents.”
Wrapping oneself in the flag is usually a metaphor. Former President Trump literally grabs it by the pole.
Hmm. Maybe the pussyhat crowd can switch to pole hats.
Frankly, except for the chorus that just repeats the title over and again, Born in the USA cynically mocks patriotism. It’s a small wonder that Springsteen mumbled through the lyrics of the the song. I am no fan, but the Born in the USA album was his biggest selling record. He still collects good royalties on it. Good for him. America is a land of opportunity no matter what rich, fat-cat liberals say.
No one buys that Democrats are suddenly patriotic.
Robin Abcarian’s job is to make her readers feel good about voting for the Hyena and the Cowardly Lion. Given her location in the heart of Narcon Liberalism, I would expect nothing less. This is a valuable service to her readers. Almost as valuable as the poop map in San Francisco so people know which street corners to avoid in the literal shithole by the bay.
As promised, there was another story that dovetailed quite nicely with this sudden surge of patriotism among Democrats.
An Oklahoma high school has been hit with major backlash after it said one of its students could not fly the American flag from his pickup truck.
Edmond North High School told senior Caleb Horst to take down the flag last week, which he posted about on social media. Parents and fellow students ended up gathering in support of Horst, with more than 100 vehicles showing up at campus on Monday morning.
The school has said that it does not allow any flags to be flown on vehicles, for safety reasons and to prevent disruptions.
Now, I am not an expert on school safety. The only people who know less about keeping schools safe work for the Uvalde Police Department. But I fail to see how a pickup painted red, white and blue is a safety hazard even if it is a Ford.
Such incidents are not uncommon.
Gray News reported from Indiana in March:
A high school student in Indiana received a red, white and blue upgrade to his pickup truck weeks after school administrators told him to stop flying an American flag.
Cameron Blasek, a senior at East Central High School, had flown an American flag from his pickup truck the entire school year.
But earlier this month, he was told by the school the flag broke the rules and had to be taken down.
Blasek refused to remove the flag and told the school that he wasn’t breaking any rules with school administrators backing down the following day.
Gay Pride flags are another matter. They are sacred and outnumber American flags in certain areas.
In June, WBOY reported from Huntington, West Virginia:
Police cited the man seen doing a burnout on the Pride crosswalk in Huntington on June 12, the Huntington Police Department told WBOY’s sister station in Charleston, 13 News.
The crosswalk and mural are at the intersection of 4th Avenue and 10th Street. Sassa Wilkes and more than 100 people helped bring the crosswalk and rainbow gemstone in the middle of the roadway to life. It was completed last week, just three days before it was damaged by the burnout.
Huntington Police Chief Phil Watkins told 13 News that the man, who they say is 21, has been cited for “Squealing Tires.”
Mayor Steve Williams had ordered the cops to find the culprit.
The mayor is the Democrat nominee for governor this year. This is the flag he embraces. They all do.
Despite Abcarian’s earnest attempt to align Democrats, Americans know better. They know which party says Love It Or Leave It and which party supports Colin Kaepernick disrespecting the flag and the national anthem.
Democrats mocked Nixon’s patriotism, Reagan’s patriotism and the patriotism of the Bushes. They have spent the last 8 years not only mocking but demonizing the idea that we should Make America Great Again.
Hillary said of MAGA supporters, “They're racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic — you name it.”
Notice that she did not say anti-Semitic. Democrats have reclaimed that.
But reclaiming patriotism?
Their poster boy for patriotism is Not A Command Sergeant Major A. Walz. They assure us he is patriotic because he served in the National Guard for 24 years.
But how does that square with his fondness for Red China? He made 30 trips there while serving in the National Guard. It made me wonder why the communists would allow such a red, white and blue Rambo to keep coming back. Then it finally dawned on me. He’s a plant and not the kind that blooms.
I should have expected that.
Given that Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee had a Chinese spy as her chauffeur for many years — and Eric Swalwell bang-banged Fang Fang — and Joe Biden flew in Air Force Two to Beijing as vice president to help his son pick up a bribe — I don’t doubt the loyalty of Democrats to their country.
Unfortunately for us, that country is Red China and not the USA.
Democrats are masters at projection. Everything they said about Trump actually applies to them. They staged an insurrection — resistance to use their language — when Trump assumed the presidency in 2017. They spied and lied on him and put his supporters in prison.
Win, lose or draw, Democrats will toss their American flags aside the day after the election and return to waving Gay Pride flags, which keep getting uglier the more fetishes they add.
I’m reading this on my porch, the weather is nice, I have an American flag on my house, as do many of my neighbors.
I could not answer today's poll, Don. In all honesty, I've no clue as to why anyone would vote for Harris-Walz. Those I do know have chosen to live in California, Oregon and Illinois so it's hardly worth arguing with them. Nor would it make much difference as those states are so far in the blue column as to be traveling at ludicrous speed.