Since we’re in the Fourth of July spirit, it’s as good a time as any to reflect on the declining state of the Democratic Party and its views of America.
As Shane Goldmacher wrote recently in The New York Times, the Democratic Party’s standing “has plunged to startling new lows — 27 percent approval in a recent NBC News poll, the weakest in surveys dating to 1990.”
Since their stunning loss to Trump in 2024, finding ways out of that abyss has consumed much of the party’s leadership class.
Everyone’s got their theories about how to win back America—the party has gone too far left and must return to the center; it must double down on its progressive ideals; it should remain focused on exposing Trump; and, most recently, it should follow a fresh new approach around an “abundance” agenda.
This latest idea, courtesy of a bestseller book by Ezra Klein of The New York Times and Derek Thompson of The Atlantic, has struck a nerve in Democratic circles by being highly practical. The authors argue, in essence, that the regulatory environment in many Democratic-led cities has become so stifling it has hurt the party.
As a result, the chronic lack of progress on ambitious projects, especially those related to affordable housing and infrastructure, has become a key obstacle to Democrats winning back the working class.
But is that all there is? Sure, the Democrats need to catch up to the country with some more popular policies, but is the salvation of the Democratic party dependent solely on better policies?
I’d like to advance something more visceral and fundamental. Before they can hope to regain the working class, Democrats will need to inject some good old-fashioned patriotism into their party.
Yes, patriotism.
As a top salesman once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Democrats are great at showing how much they know. The “Abundance” book is full of valuable analyses; it’s clear the authors know a lot.
But if people who love their country sense that your patriotism is lacking, how much will they care about your ideas, whether these come from AOC and Bernie Sanders or Klein and Thompson?
This decline in Democratic patriotism is not just a hunch; it’s real.
A survey quoted in The New York Post this week found that “91% of self-identified Republicans call themselves patriots, compared to just 50% of Democrats.” According to another recent poll from Gallup, just 36% of Democrats called themselves “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American, plummeting from 62% in 2024 and the lowest level among the demographic this century.
Democratic leaders can’t just blame their voters for this decline. They must take some responsibility. If they care for their country, they must recognize that a party that sees its patriotism eroding is a problem for the whole nation.
“Patriotism in the American political tradition is a commitment to our ideals,” Jonah Goldberg writes in The Dispatch. “Those who denigrate or dismiss the founding are right to note that we fell short of ideals then—and in some ways continue to do so. But that’s how ideals work. They are things to strive for, North Stars to guide us. And they are worth celebrating and, hopefully, in the process, reaffirming.”
Some Democrats get this. As Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) posted on X:
“Last week, Gallup polled only 36% of Democrats are ‘extremely or very proud’ to be American. In the greatest country in the world, that’s just wrong. I’m unapologetically grateful for our nation and the American Way of Life—today, and always.”
That sense of gratitude and pride for living in America has nothing to do with how one feels about a political party or a president or specific policies. It’s a feeling, an emotion, a starting point. Rather than divide us around politics, patriotism is meant to unite us around ideals.
It’s easy for Democrats to offer an abundance of ideas and policies. But if they’re serious about winning the country back, what they’ll first need to offer is something that may not come easily right now: an abundance of patriotism.
It’s easy for Democrats to offer the electorate an abundance of ideas and policies. But if they’re serious about winning the country back, what they’ll first need to offer is something that may not come easily right now: an abundance of patriotism, with the U.S. flag flying proudly at their July 4th barbeques.
Happy Fourth and Shabbat shalom.
