Trump’s dark vision of America — and an alternative
Can the Democrats reclaim the mantle of patriotism?
Super Tuesday is in the books, and after locking up the Republican nomination (“There’s never been anything so conclusive,” according to the candidate), what did Donald Trump have to say to the captive crowd at Mar-a-Lago? He managed to present a vision of America that was, if possible, even darker than his previous tales of American carnage, less a country than a litany of woes.
“We’re a third-world country at our borders, and we’re a third-world country at our elections.”
“Our cities are choking to death. Our states are dying. And, frankly, our country is dying.”
“Inflation is destroying the middle class, it’s destroying everything…inflation is called a country-buster.”
“Our cities are being overrun with migrant crime.”
“The world is laughing at us; the world is taking advantage of us.”
What it was, in the end, was unpatriotic.
The former president doesn’t seem to have much love for the country he proposes to govern. Which creates an opportunity.
For too long, the political left has ceded the mantle of patriotism to the right. Much as it has done with freedom, as we explored this morning.
President Biden has already called out Trump’s vision as “un-American” this year. But there’s a chance to go further. Right now, there is a moment for the political left truly to retake the concept of patriotism from the extreme right. Not long ago, Congressman Ro Khanna went deep with us on how that can be done.
I think that we shouldn't shy away from but rather embrace the narrative of patriotism. Great leaders, when you look in our country at Dr. King and John Lewis or in other countries at Gandhi and Mandela, they grounded their calls in a deeply held patriotism and in religious conviction. I don't understand why we cede that to the Republicans.
We're so concerned about a thoughtless jingoism, a sense of unreflective patriotism, that we hesitate to put out our own version of patriotism that should be much more reflective. Partly I think Biden does that, just his persona. He invokes it just by who he is, and it's probably one of the reasons he won.