Key Takeaways:
- Gallup data show a sharp partisan divergence on patriotism: in 2026, 70 percent of Republicans versus 14 percent of Democrats described themselves as “extremely proud to be an American,” a 56-point gap, and patriotism ranked first among Republican values but last among Democratic ones.
- The decline is traced to the post-9/11 period and the growing influence of the Democratic Socialists of America, whose 2026 platform (like the Democratic Party’s) omits any reference to patriotism and is said to redefine the term around class allegiance.
- The article concludes that the contemporary Democratic Party has little in common with its mid-20th-century patriotic tradition and that continued DSA influence will further erode that identity.
Patriotism was hugely celebrated in the United States after the Second World War, and it continued to be heralded well into the 1960s. Then came the Vietnam war. Though it was unpopular with young people, it was not a time when the two political parties differed a whole lot on the issue of patriotism. I remember those times well.
In 1968, I was stationed at Beale Air Force Base in northern California. When Rev. Martin Luther King was shot, the first thing that crossed my mind was that I hoped it was not a black man who killed him. If it were, white racists would have a ball.
A week before Sen. Bobby Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles, I shook hands with him in Marysville, California; he was running for president. I had just finished reading his book, To Seek a Newer World, and was very impressed.
Both of these men expressed their love for country, while noting obvious flaws. They were not alone among left-of-center public figures. Indeed, six time presidential candidate on the Socialist Party line, Norman Thomas, implored young people to wash the American flag, not burn it. That was then.
There is no question that Democrats have sullied on patriotism, and that is putting it mildly. Take the recent Gallup poll on shared values in the U.S.
The survey found that we still have some shared values, the top three being freedom, patriotism and service (e.g., helping others). On some issues, such as freedom, honesty and integrity, there isn’t much of a difference between the two parties. But on patriotism there is.
For Republicans, of the twelve values they were asked to choose from, patriotism was #1 (it was chosen by 46% of them). For Democrats, it came in last, #12 (it was chosen by 6% of them). Forty percent is a huge difference.
Looking at previous Gallup polls, we learn that in 2002, the vast majority of Republicans and Democrats said they were “extremely proud to be an American”; the former were in the 70-80 percentage range; the latter was in the 60 percentage range. The same range was evident in both parties for the next three consecutive years.
This makes sense. Patriotism surged after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. In 2006, however, while patriotic measures for Republicans hadn’t changed much—it was 78% in 2002 and 73% in 2006—support among Democrats slipped from 64% to 48%. It appears that the 9/11 bump in patriotism was short-lived.
Fast forward to recent times. In 2024, 59% of Republicans and 34% of Democrats were “extremely proud to be an American,” and in 2026, the figures were, respectively, 70% and 14%. The 56% difference is astounding (and the drop of 20% in two years among Democrats is also significant).
What’s going on? Why have Democrats lost their patriotic chops? Much of the answer lies with the growth of the Democratic Socialists of America in the Democratic Party. Quite frankly, most—not some—of DSA members and supporters hate America.
When the Vietnam war was raging, the 1968 Democratic Party Platform noted, “Now, and not later, is the right time to unfurl again the flag of human patriotism and rededicate ourselves under it, to the cause of peace among nations.”
Neither the 2026 Democratic Party Platform, nor the 2026 Democratic Socialists of America Platform, make any mention of patriotism. Exactly what we would expect.
When AI is consulted, it tries to bail out DSA, saying, it “approaches patriotism not through traditionalist nationalist or pro-capitalist symbols, but by redefining it as allegiance to the working class and a vision of a more equitable society.”
In other words, because DSA fails the patriotism test, it has elected to “redefine” the plain meaning of the word to fit its left-wing agenda. It must also be said that DSA does not have the allegiance of the working class—they despise them and are overwhelmingly pro-Trump.
The Democratic Party in 2026 has less and less in common with the proud and patriotic Democratic Party of old. Either DSA is thrown to the curb or it will continue its ascent. There is no happy medium.
