Anecdotally, this past Fourth of July saw more anti-American protests than since the Vietnam War. A flag burning outside the White House, for example, was called a "rag that does not represent the people of the world," and people chanted, "America was never great!"
Meanwhile, a new Gallup report reveals that national pride is on the decline. Among Democrats, only 29% say they are "extremely proud" of America. One-third of Independents say likewise, and only 60% of Republicans have strong American pride – down 26 points since 2003.
"At 39%, the share of U.S. adults who are 'extremely proud' to be American is essentially unchanged from last year's 38% record low," the report begins. "The combined 67% of Americans who are now extremely or 'very proud' (28%) also aligns with the historically subdued 65% reading one year ago."
Gallop additionally notes that "22% of U.S. adults currently say they are 'moderately proud,' while 7% are 'only a little' and 4% 'not at all.'"
Radio talk-show host Richard Randall says America has been in turmoil for several years. Making note of the rioting and the looting of 2020 and the morality of mothers killing their babies up until birth – and even afterwards in some cases, he submits, "We don't feel as proud."
He lays a large portion of the blame on the architect of identity politics, Barack Obama.
"A community activist decided that he needed to rekindle all of those issues and have more divisiveness in this country," Randall recalls.
He recognizes that the United States is flawed, but compared to the greatness of other countries, Randall believes American exceptionalism is still strong.
