Michelle Obama struck a raw nerve earlier this week when she suggested she had never been proud of her country until now. "For the first time in my adult lifetime," the 44-year-old wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama told a Milwaukee crowd, "I'm really proud of my country."
Conservative pundits and bloggers were quick to criticize Mrs. Obama. And even Sen. John McCain's wife, Cindy, let it be known that she has never had any problem being proud of her country.
Most liberals, on the other hand, were willing to give Michelle Obama the benefit of the doubt. Of course, she's proud of the United States, they insisted. It's just that she's especially proud now because, as an Obama campaign spokeswoman explained, for the first time in a long time, thousands of Americans who've never participated in politics before are coming out in record numbers to build a grass-roots movement for change. Her husband followed suit, saying that it wasn't our country that Michelle was not proud of, but politics as they've been practiced in recent years.
The flap might seem trivial, but it speaks to a much larger division between liberals and conservatives over the meaning of patriotism. Michelle Obama may consider herself a patriotic American. But her comments suggest that she sees the role of the patriot as critic: America needs perfecting, and until it conforms to her ideal, she won't be proud of it. She said her newfound pride in her country was "not just because Barack has done well, but because people are hungry for change." Mrs. Obama went on to say: "I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment."
It's a view her husband, Barack Obama, seems to share. Last fall, Sen. Obama stirred a similar controversy when he talked about his decision to quit wearing a flag lapel pin that he, like many members of Congress and others, had worn since the Sept.
11 attacks. He said that the pins had become "a substitute for … true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security." He added, "I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest. Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism."
It is as if both Obamas are suggesting that America is somehow lacking, unless a President Obama can change it. It is a theme that seems to resonate with liberals: America could be a great nation — if only liberals were in charge.
But most Americans already think their country is great — no matter who occupies the White House. Patriotism isn't about loving your country when your party is in power. It isn't about liking its political leaders or even agreeing with all the nation's policies.
No matter how much we may have disliked Bill Clinton, conservatives didn't feel ashamed of our country or think it is any less great and noble a nation when he was in office. You can't imagine conservatives refusing to fly the flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance because Clinton raised taxes or misbehaved in the Oval Office.
Patriotism is a lot like the unconditional love of a parent for a child. A parent doesn't demand a child be perfect in order to love him. Nor does that love mean that a parent does not recognize a child's faults.
Conservatives seem to understand this almost intuitively, but liberals seem to struggle with it. Liberals' patriotism often seems grudging — as if they believe it's the country's duty to win their love rather than their duty to love their country.
Our elected officials don't make America great, nor do temporal policies. America is great because of its people, its defining institutions and its freedoms. You would think a woman hoping to be the country's next first lady could take pride in that.
Linda Chavez is the author of "An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal." To find out more about Linda Chavez, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
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Ms Chavez missed the most important point in her skreed---Bill Clinton and company did not disgrace this country by Torturing Prisoners, Waging Pre-Emptive War, Shredding the Social Safety Net and allowing Predatory Corporations/Capitalistsin the top 1% of the income ladder to loot the economy at the expense of the 99% of normal, hard working Americans who play fair and pay their fair share of the taxes needed to run the government.
And she failed to mention that liberal democrats like me are the folks who ALWAYS serve in the military because we don't have rich families to convince us that service to election campaigns (see Candidate Romney's speech during the Iowa Caucuses) is the equivalent to service in Baghdad---or the ability to avoid the Draft when it was in place as W did during the Vietnam war.
When a liberal says that they are ashamed of AMERICA today--they have good reason to be.
It is because we live in the most prosperous, advanced country in the world--yet we still have children here in AMERICA who go to bed hungry every night and receive sub-standard educations to ensure that they stay in poverty---While the oil companies get BILLIONS of dollars of gifts from the Federal Government.
It is because somewhere in the world every 3 seconds a child dies of things that we could prevent easilty--a little more food aid, a 5 dollar mosquito net, a 10 dollar immunization drug--and yet this supposedly moral country turns it's head and ignores it in favor of one more Latte or the latest Plasma TV--
Contrary to MS Chavez's opionion our shame is not because we lack patriotism or are only willing to be patriotic when liberals are in power--but because we believe that the bar for what is right and wrong in this country was laid out more than 200 years ago in a document called the constitution and the bill of rights--and we feel deep shame when that document is violated by holding people without a right to a speedy trial and illegally monitoring the conversations of American Citizens without warrants from a court.
And we believe that in a country where the public education, infrastructure and economy contribute to the individual prosperity enjoyed by most of us a classic phrase applies--- OF Those to whom much is given, much is expected.
As liberals and Americans we are shamed by the predatory and mean spirited policies of the Republican party.
We are shamed by the Imperial Presidency of W and his friends Karl Rove and Dick Cheney.
It would be my position that if you are not an American ashamed by the last 25 years of largely Conservative rule--you haven't been paying attention to the evil they have perpetrated.
Comment: #1
Posted by: Bruce Stone
Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:08 AM
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Ms. Chavez,
I invite you to spend a week with me and let me show you many examples of why I am not proud of my country. I was born in 1944 aI was growing up. When I became a teacher I worked in public schools and saw segregation until I was compelled to leave in 1978 when ordered not to show my roll books to the arriving government integration inspectors. I am disappointed that you have criticized Mrs. Obama for speaking the truth. Our country is not just great because of its institutions. It is great because of the ideal that all citizens should have the same rights and opportunities. These ideals are not defined by institutions and buildings. Freedom is not available to all our citizens. I am proud of our citizens who stand up and speak the truth about our country and work hard to make our country a nation that everyone can be proud of.
Comment: #2
Posted by: Nancy Schien
Mon Feb 25, 2008 7:54 AM
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There are things which have made me ashamed for this country - which I love - and therein lies the difference. I have literally had tears of joy & pride rolling down my cheeks when the National Anthem is played for an Olympic win, but that doesn't mean that I am any less ashamed of Abu Gharaib - or the "Patriot Act" - or how we treat our veterans!
As a person who graduated high school during the Viet Nam War & watched with dismay how the soldiers were treated on their return, while questioning whether we should be there (most often discussing it with my father, a career NCO who retired after 30 years in the military). So I am more than aware of the division at that time - those who believed in " America: love it or leave it" vs those who believed in "America: change it or lose it" - which seems to have come back into popularity, although without those catch phrases. It's interesting that the "love it or leave it" crew never outright called the "change it or leave it" crew traitors - apparently, unlike today, both sides understood that debate is part of a democracy.
I wonder how Linda Chavez would regard the following (since she has decided that debate shouldn't be part of the process) - or would she give them all a pass, since they are quotes from Republicans disagreeing with Democrats?
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” — Theodore Roosevelt.
"As a matter of general principle, I believe there can be no doubt that criticism in time of war is essential to the maintenance of any kind of democratic government ... too many people desire to suppress criticism simply because they think that it will give some comfort to the enemy to know that there is such criticism. If that comfort makes the enemy feel better for a few moments, they are welcome to it as far as I am concerned, because the maintenance of the right of criticism in the long run will do the country maintaining it a great deal more good than it will do the enemy, and will prevent mistakes which might otherwise occur"
- Senator Robert A. Taft, December 19, 1941 (12 days post-Pearl Harbor Attack)
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/01/bush-timetable-2/
Flashback to 1999, when George W. Bush was governor of Texas. Then, Bush criticized President Clinton for not setting a timetable for exiting Kosovo.
George W. Bush, 4/9/99, Houston Chronicle:
“Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the president to explain to us what the exit strategy is.”
And on the specific need for a timetable:
George W. Bush, 6/5/99, Scripps Howard/Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
“I think it's also important for the president to lay out a timetable as to how long they will be involved and when they will be withdrawn.”
Comment: #3
Posted by: Mary
Mon Feb 25, 2008 11:12 AM
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Funny how the best thing she could come up with during the clinton years was misbehaving in the oval office. Let's take sex out of the equation, because as we all know, conservatives are never found out to be cheating on their wives or sexual deviants. For this administration, misbehaving in the oval office would include: secret meetings with energy companies right before they start to make the most profits EVER. Sitting around while thousands of people waited on roofs for help after Katrina. Made back room deals with mercenaries, i mean, contractors, to deplete or treausry and the troops morale. I say our treasury b/c of the billions of dollars given to these contractors, and the troops morale b/c they are doing the same thing for a fraction of what the contractors are getting paid. And if you think a soldier who makes 35,000 doesn't lose morale when the civilian right next to him is making 90,000-120,000, think again. Its hard to be proud of a country that doesn't listen to its INFORMED citizens. Millions protested the war and they were conpletely ignored. We constantly talk about other leaders not following the will of the people, it happens here all the time. In defense of Michelle Obama, she is a Black woman. Regardless of where she went to school, i am sure she had to endure some of the struggles that most black people in this country endure everyday, and I am 100% sure that her path was not an easy one. So as a black man, i definitely understand where she is coming from.
Comment: #4
Posted by: Righteous
Tue Feb 26, 2008 7:49 AM
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Wow! Do any conservatives comment here? I can see why they wouldn't. Each of these comments are excellent and accurate and moving.
I was myself a conservative republican once upon a time, and I can say that being so is easy when you leave conscience and humanity out of the view you have of your government.
I was a soldier that served in Iraq in 2004. The things I saw and experienced not only made me ashamed of my country, but made me ashamed of myself. I tried to maintain my views, but observation and truth trumped my pride and my ego.
To think that any country, any president, any government, is somehow immune from corruption and villainy simply because YOU were born in said nation is naive, dangerous, and decidedly un-American (at least un-American in terms of our mythical view of America). As citizens, it is our duty to stand as sentinels against the perpetual and frankly, likely potential for our nation to turn down paths of horror and brutality. Many of us...far too many of us...here in the United States have failed in that essential obligation.
The irony is that those pied pipers leading us into the abyss, such as Ms. Chavez here, are the very ones trumpeting the fairy tale of America's miraculous perfection and unshakable flawless demeanor.
It is members of that camp that are raping our country as surely as Osama Bin Laden would like to...or Ann Coulter. There is almost no difference between the two in world view, intolerance and bigotry, if not method.
I DO love the United States of America. We are lucky in that the few moments throughout our history that we do have to be proud of number perhaps more than that of most other nations. I am sad and ashamed that one of these precious, historical moments have not occurred in my lifetime.
Ms. Chavez, people resonate toward Mr. Obama because we are fundamentally starved for such a moment...one of those moments to be proud of. Mr. Obama may not deliver, and in fact, he probably won't. But he is the most likely to do so that I have seen in my lifetime, and I for one would be proud to call him my president.
But "make no mistake"...
Mr. Obama, should he become our mantle and our leader, will be under the same degree of scrutiny and skepticism from me that I apply to Mr. Bush, because that is my duty, and that is my PATRIOTISM, and that is the only way we maneuver, however incrementally, toward realizing that myth of our country you and your ilk dole out like cheap freedom fries.
Think again, Ms. Chavez, because you have got it wrong, without question.
Thanks,
-GA
Comment: #5
Posted by: Gregory Armitage
Wed Feb 27, 2008 8:42 PM
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