I’ll be honest—I didn’t want to report on this story. It was my intention to write a patriotic, upbeat 4ThThis July Article focuses on America’s greatness and its endless possibilities. Also, I was tempted to write about our amazing economy, the vibrant stock market and the peacefulness and love of these times. But that wasn’t possible.
I’ll get to the numbers in a minute, but I can sum them up in one sentence: the number of Americans feeling proud of their country is down. It’s way down.
I refuse to lie down. I have an explanation, and it’s not so terrible. This country doesn’t suck, and despite the polls—hold your horses, I will discuss them soon—there’s no reason to panic. These are the two main reasons Americans feel so pessimistic.
One, Democrats are the professional Misery Crowd, and love to crow that everything America is bad and tainted by things people did centuries ago, ignoring the fact that we’ve also done incredible good in the years since—freeing slaves, saving the world in two world wars, passing Civil Rights laws; the list goes on. Dems are also in a permanent hissy fit over recent Supreme Court rulings, so it’s not surprising that they’re dissatisfied.
Second, it is possible that the lack of pride among Republicans in the country has more to do with current government than our principles or our historical past. Republicans have long polled as more patriotic and loving of America than Democrats, but it’s no surprise that they’re feeling low with this current administration’s record inflation, rampant crime, woke divisive politics and punishing energy policies. It doesn’t mean they don’t love America—at least the America they remember just a few short years ago.
OK, now let us see these numbers. Sigh.
It’s a country I am proud of.
Just not the ass🤡’s running it.
RT @FoxNews: AIN’T TOO PROUD: Fox News poll reveals pride in the United States is much lower today than it was in 2017. https://t.co/lIoaf32cuJ pic.twitter.com/3mSN9GPRLx
— 🇺🇸 Jessie Black 🏁 (@jessieblack_) July 1, 2022
The Fox News poll was released Thursday and shows that only 39 percent of respondents claimed they were “proud of the country today,” down 12 points from June 2017 (the last time the question was asked) and 30 points since June 2011.
Yeah. That’s not something I wanted to report as we head into the celebration of our nation’s founding. Fox keeps going:
While the question has only been asked four times, this marks the first time a majority feels disappointed in the country: 56% aren’t proud, up from 45% in 2017 and 28% in 2011.
Wait, there’s good news! The US is actually more popular with black voters:
Black voters remain in the “not proud” column, though the margin is shrinking: from a 28-point margin five years ago to a 9-point margin today.
Progress!
The most notable decrease was in Republicans, who were “proud” by a 31-point margin in 2017 but were “not proud” by 24 points in the new poll. Again, I would argue that the poll does not show what it purports—that Republicans don’t like America—but that they are unhappy with the current regime. You can see the numbers rise when the Red Wave enters November.
Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducted the Fox News poll with Republican Daron Shaw, seems to agree with me that’s it’s more about politics than love of country:
Partisanship has subsumed pride in America, which was once a condition for patriotic behavior. For many, pride and patriotism no longer concern our democratic freedoms. It is about who lives in the White House.
It saddens me that so many Americans don’t feel “proud” of a country that has brought so much good to the world. This is largely due to the fact that this country has been brought down by the divided Biden Administration. However, I am hopeful that this nation, which will be voting these zealots out in November, will regain its dominance on the international stage. Citizens will feel again honored to have been a part of the Great Experiment, the United States of America.
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