How are You Feeling About America Today?

My Two Cents:

If it is of any consequence, this Baby Boomer is not happy to have Trump as the President again. He was terrible the first time. And he is really working hard to be more terrible this time. The threats keep on coming. People are kidnapped after court hearings, no warrants, masked so they can not be identified, and they carry their victims to jail. And the judges do not stop the kidnapping occurring outside of the doors.

If you do not vote or vote for the family dog or a minority candidate; this is what you get. The worst of the litter.

The Brownshirts were known for their use of violence against political opponents. Arresting and torturing enemies: Following Hitler’s ascent to power, the SA (Sturmabteilung) participated in the arrest and torture of enemies of the regime, including many Jews, and established concentration camps for this purpose. They kidnap conservative politicians during the Beer Hall Putsch as part of their attempt to take control of the Bavarian government. 

How do you take on a U.S. Senator who identifies himself in a public meeting? Throw him on the ground and handcuff him. Doesn’t that seem outrageous and odd to you? He was not aggressive or threatening. The speaker in charge could have recognized him and asked the ICE people to back off. She did not.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s SUMMARY on the present:

Donald Trump’s election has seen national pride crater to its lowest- ever level among Democrats, with only 36 percent feeling proud of their country.

Polling data released by Gallup shows the gap between Democrats and Republicans ahead of July 4 is at its widest since 2001, with younger generations also increasingly out of step with their elders.

Only 4 out of 10 members of Gen Z expressed pride in their country, while just 6 out of 10 Millennials felt the same. Both fall significantly behind older generations, who average out at 7/10.

Meanwhile, the divide along party lines has never been starker. Ninety-two percent of Republicans have stated they feel “very” or “extremely” proud of their country, with the gap between voters at its widest since records began in 2001, including the entirety of Trump’s first term.

Kareem’s TAKE:

Republicans and Democrats have a different definition of patriotism, which is revealed in this poll showing 92% of Republicans “extremely” or “very proud” of being an American and only 53% of Independents and 36% of Democrats feeling the same way.

Most of the country is not proud right now.

Republicans cling to the notion “My country, right or wrong,” first uttered in 1816 in a toast by naval officer Stephen Decatur after defeating Barbary pirates: “Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong!” Sounds great—unless that country is enslaving people, committing genocide, and oppressing their own poor.

Democrats ironically follow a version of that sentiment modified by Republican Congressman and civil rights advocate Carl Schurz, and delivered to the Senate in 1872: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.”

Republicans respond to the question of pride by thinking about the idealized movie version of America in their heads. Democrats and Independents respond to the reality of what is actually going on in America at the time. They are more focused on the difference between the promise of America and the reality today of the broken promise—and how to fix it. In reality, all three political groups have about the same pride in America. They are like parents who have raised children with strong moral values and a great education, only to have one of them sent to prison for defrauding the elderly. The Republican defiantly announces how much they love their child no matter what they’ve done. The Democrat loves their child just as much but expresses disappointment in their behavior and works toward restitution for the defrauded.

But the real revelation is how less powerful both major parties are becoming, as Independents rise and as younger generations become disillusioned with both parties. In a 2024 Gallup poll, 28% identified as Republican, 28% as Democrat, and 43% as Independent. The last 25 years have seen both parties shrink as Independents grew.

The difference between Republican and Democrat response to the question is that Republicans conflate love with pride. Democrats love America as much as Republicans, but pride is based on actions compared to our values. Since January, the Trump administration has systematically perverted our values about equality, freedom of speech, and compassion for those in need to variations on the theme, “Greed is good.”

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Free Newsletter Day) New Poll Shows We Have Less Pride in America & Iran’s Ban on Dog Walking May Be Its Demise

Americans Have Never Been Less Proud of Their Country Ahead of July 4th