The Democrats embraced patriotism after all

One party is actively trying to leave the 2010s behind. The other is doubling down.

Photo via @KamalaHQ

Anyone watching the Democratic convention in Chicago right now must be struck by the intense patriotism on display. American flags are everywhere. Convention-goers hold up signs saying “USA”. The delegate roll call celebrated every state in turn. A montage showed triumphant scenes from the history of America — the building of the railroads, the conquest of the Great Depression, World War 2 — with flags waving in every scene. The recital of the Pledge of Allegiance was particularly touching:

A lot of Democrats watching the convention have been deeply affected by the patriotic motif. Just a few examples:

If you have any doubts, just watch this video of a recent speech by Harris’ running mate Tim Walz. Walz declares:

Those tens of thousands across this country showed up for the very same reason that you took — you could have been anywhere on a beautiful Nebraska Saturday in late summer, but you chose to be here. For the most beautiful and simple reason — you love this country.

At 1:42 in the video, the crowd breaks into chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!”.

I can’t tell you how gratified and happy I am to see this. Almost three years ago, I wrote a post called “Try Patriotism”, in which I pointed out that there was a silent majority of Americans who love their country and who weren’t being particularly well-represented by either party’s vision. I predicted that the first party who embraced patriotic messaging wholeheartedly would reap major electoral benefits:

Try patriotism

Where did I get this idea? As is so often the case, I got it from a Rick Perlstein book. In The Invisible Bridge, Perlstein argues that the bicentennial celebration of 1976 reminded Americans who had become disillusioned after Vietnam, Watergate, and a wave of assassinations that they loved their country after all. The politician who capitalized most effectively on this, of course, was Ronald Reagan. I wrote my post because I wanted the mantle of patriotism to be seized by Democrats this time, instead of waiting around for another Reagan to emerge on the right.

Watching this Democratic convention, I feel like my wish came true.