948: What an idea
America is an idea Democrats must be proud of
Two recommended reads for the Fourth. One on what America is, the other on what Democrats must show to win it.
Gregg Easterbrook asks whether July 4 is even the right day to celebrate. And
, in The Liberal Patriot, examines how Democrats can reconnect with patriotism.In the first, Gregg Easterbrook questions whether today is the right day - and whether the Declaration or Constitution better captures the start of America:
The clause we hold these truths to be self-evident – a natural-law premise at the core of a society -- still inspires centuries later.
Truths that are self-evident, embedded in nature, have more gravity than any political claim. The word truths still resonates today, when it is fashionable in academia and literature to deny there is truth.
Easterbrook, writing in
, makes the case for the day of the Constitution instead:Yet however powerful, the Declaration of Independence is not law. The Declaration did not create a nation. The United States Constitution played that role.
Ratified on June 21, 1788, the United States Constitution became, and remains today, the most important document of human history.
For all its defects … the United States Constitution formed the framework of our world’s most successful society.
Admirable nations are based on laws, not on force or personality cults. Even today many nations do not have constitutional standards, have constitutions that are in endless flux or are incomprehensible.
It’s easy to spot a nation based on men not laws. They are the failed states.
You can read the full piece here, titled ‘When is America’s birthday?’
Every year, around July 4, Gallup measures how Americans are feeling about their country. And every year, I’m reminded of how an ever-lower share of Democrats—especially liberal Democrats—feel less and less proud to call America their home. This year’s survey, released yesterday, is no exception: only about a third (36 percent) of self-identified Democrats said they were either “extremely” or “very” proud to be American, a record low since Gallup began tracking the question in 2001.
America’s founding ideal—the notion that anyone can make of themselves what they want in a society committed to pluralism—has not only served us well but also has been a model, even if at times an imperfect one, for other societies. To be an American is to be part of a project bigger than oneself and also, importantly, one’s ethnic or tribal identity. The country has certainly struggled to consistently live up to this ideal, but it is nonetheless something that we continue to aspire to and that has lit the path for other countries to do the same.
There are also other, more tangible ways to reinvigorate a sense of patriotism among Democrats. One thing I’ve noticed in my own, predominantly liberal social circles is that people who have some skin in the game—who have sacrificed in some way in service of their country and fellow citizens—often boast a more hopeful attitude about America. This includes those who have served in the military, worked for the government, and taught in public schools. Insofar as they criticize the country, it’s usually because they see it failing to live up to its ideals, which they believe in.
Baharaeen goes on to advocate for volunteering - something conservatives do more than liberals - as a gateway to patriotism.
The connection between patriotism, service, and pragmatism is important. A sneaky difference between today’s leftist movement and the more pragmatic changemakers Democrats of the Clinton/Obama era is patriotism and optimism. My hypothesis - explored in “The Second Coming of Ed Reform” - is that the climate-focused generation went straight into all-or-nothing advocacy, while a prior generation served first in complex environments that require nuance, like high-poverty schools.
Regardless of the source of patriotism, imbuing it in the Democratic Party is a prerequisite to winning a majority.
Back to Baharaeen:
In addition to the clear personal benefits of embracing patriotism, there’s a cruder political calculation that the official Democratic Party also must contend with: voters increasingly see them as an unpatriotic party. This surely isn’t for a lack of effort fromtheir leaders. But the impression exists nonetheless. In a 2024 post-election survey, the Progressive Policy Institute found that working-class voters, specifically, were likelier to view Republicans as far more patriotic than Democrats, 62 percent vs. 43 percent. The above Gallup poll (and others) is only likely to reinforce that gap.
The reality is that a lot of Americans like living here and think patriotism is pretty cool, and if voters believe one of the parties doesn’t share those values, that can only come at the latter’s expense.
If Democrats care about building a future wherein all Americans share in its success, they must first tell themselves a story that doesn’t condemn the American experiment based on the temporary reality of who is in power or the nations’ past failings. Even for liberals who have grown jaded by a country that re-elected Trump, there’s still plenty to love here. Patriotism need not be manufactured; there are abundant, meaningful ways to feel and express admiration for one’s homeland. And doing so will be a crucial part of securing a shared, prosperous future for all Americans.
Read the full thing in The Liberal Patriot here.
America is both an idea and a structure. The Declaration of Independence gave us the promise: liberty, equality, government by consent. The Constitution gave us the machinery: checks, balances, procedures. One is aspirational; the other is operational.
Most countries celebrate the day they declared independence, not the day they won. Declarations mark identity. They're a story nations tell themselves about who they are and what they stand for.
America did so in a way that was way cooler than anywhere else. So sign me up for July 4th as the best day to light the candles and light up the sky.
It has been 90,830 days since July 4, 1776.
There are 984 days before the next presidential primary, another opportunity to symbolize our intent and identity.
And to focus on winning, as a meme shirt I saw at the parade this morning reminds us. It doesn’t matter how big the ideas are if you lose.
