proud of America -- and ashamed of what's happening to it

July 5, 2025, 6:00 AM EDT
By Anthony L. Fisher, Senior Editor, MSNBC Daily

A new Gallup poll shows just 58% of Americans say they’re “extremely proud” or “very proud” to be Americans — the lowest level recorded since Gallup first asked this question in January 2001, when 87% self-described as extremely or very proud. That number would bump up to over 90% after the 9/11 terrorist attacks eight months later and stay roughly at that level until 2004, when the tragedy, folly and national shame of the Iraq War became too evident for even the most patriotic Americans to ignore.

To be sure, a sizable majority of Americans still says they’re super-proud to be Americans. And Republicans currently poll at 92% as extremely or very proud, having never dropped below 84% (in 2022) during the 24 years of polling available. But just 36% of Democrats and 53% of independents are at least very proud, a sharp drop from 87% and 84%, respectively, in early 2001 ...

First off, the “my country, right or wrong” brand of patriotism never made sense to me. Why couldn’t I be ashamed of some of America’s immutable sins — centuries of chattel slavery and the ethnic cleansing of Native Americans come to mind — while also feeling a sense of pride in the country’s ability to consistently evolve for the better? Why can’t I be both mortified at the bloody, history-changing stupidity that was George W. Bush’s Iraq War and proud that both of my grandfathers fought the Nazis in World War II?

But I still can’t really get a sense of where I fall on the patriotism spectrum based strictly on historical events. When I think of what makes me uniquely proud to be an American, it’s things like the generally accepted reverence for the Constitution. We don’t do kings. Our government has checks and balances. Bad actors can be removed from office ...

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/american-proud-patriotism-gallup-poll-trump-racism-rcna216616