A recent poll found that only 27 to 29 percent of Democrats plan to display an American flag this Fourth of July. Other surveys have shown declining levels of national pride among Democrats for years, which suggests this is more than a temporary political mood. At a time when America is approaching its 250th birthday, a growing number of people on the left appear increasingly uncomfortable with celebrating the country at all.
Poll on voters who say they’re extremely or very proud to be an American:
2001:
GOP: 90% DEMS: 85%2026:
GOP: 90% DEMS: 29% pic.twitter.com/LJ7UsWUKLk— America (@america) June 17, 2026
Democrats insist this does not mean they hate America, and I’m willing to take them at their word. What I would like to know, however, is what exactly they find so objectionable about a country that protects their speech, secures their rights, and gives them the freedom to complain about it in the first place.
That is not a rhetorical question.
I would genuinely like an answer.
Which Freedom Is The Problem?
If America has become so difficult to celebrate, then it seems reasonable to ask which part is causing the discomfort. Is it the Constitution? The Bill of Rights? Self-government? Freedom of speech? The ability to criticize elected officials without worrying about a midnight knock on the door? Democrats never seem eager to identify the specific freedom they find so offensive.
Perhaps the problem is the First Amendment. Democrats certainly spend enough time using it. Every day they post, protest, organize, publish, lecture, and campaign under constitutional protections that much of the world would consider extraordinary. Perhaps the right to speak freely without government censorship has become terribly inconvenient.
🚨CNN STUNNED as bombshell poll reveals that Democrats HATE America!
– Only 27% of Democrats will fly the American flag on July 4th, compared to 64% of Republicans
– Only 29% of Democrats are extremely proud to be an American, compared to 90% of Republicans
– Only 24% of… pic.twitter.com/mQSLNBUKNl
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 17, 2026
Maybe the problem is freedom of religion. Americans are free to attend church every Sunday, practice another faith entirely, or reject religion altogether. That arrangement has worked reasonably well for a couple of centuries, but perhaps I am missing something.
Or maybe the problem is self-government itself. Americans elect their leaders, replace them when they are unhappy, and argue endlessly about politics in between. The system can be messy, frustrating, and occasionally ridiculous, but it beats having your future determined by a ruling party that never asks your opinion in the first place.
Whatever the answer may be, Democrats rarely explain it. Instead, we are told America is flawed, unjust, disappointing, and unworthy of much celebration. The accusation is always broad enough to sound profound and vague enough to avoid specifics.
Every now and then they do offer an explanation, although it usually arrives wrapped in the same tired slogans. Trump is Hitler. America is racist. Democracy is ending. The Founders were terrible people. White supremacy is everywhere.
After a while, the routine becomes predictable. The accusations grow larger, the evidence grows thinner, and somehow we still never get an answer to the original question: Which American freedom is the problem?
They Sure Do Enjoy The Benefits
One reason the whole thing feels unconvincing is that many of the people expressing the least pride in America seem perfectly content to enjoy every benefit America provides.
The activists criticizing the country rely on constitutional protections to make their arguments. The journalists condemning America depend on freedom of the press. The celebrities delivering lectures about systemic oppression continue earning fortunes in the most successful entertainment industry on earth. The politicians warning that democracy is in danger keep running for office in democratic elections.
For people who seem increasingly embarrassed by America, they appear remarkably committed to taking advantage of everything America offers.
The arrangement resembles a person spending an entire evening complaining about a restaurant while ordering appetizers, dinner, dessert, and a second cup of coffee.
Or James Carville with his TDS.
Compared To What?
This is the point where the conversation usually falls apart.
America is often judged against a fantasy version of society that has never existed anywhere in human history. Every flaw is magnified, every shortcoming is treated as evidence of national failure, and every problem becomes proof that the entire system is fundamentally broken.
Compared to perfection, America will always lose.
Compared to actual countries, however, America holds up remarkably well.
Millions of people continue trying to come here because they recognize opportunities that many Americans now take for granted. They understand the value of free speech, economic opportunity, private property, religious liberty, and political freedom because they have experienced places where those things are limited or nonexistent.
People do not generally risk everything to escape freedom and prosperity. They do not leave stable lives behind, cross oceans, and navigate complicated immigration systems because America is uniquely awful.
The rest of the world often seems more aware of America’s blessings than many Americans do.
Watch this… America is really GREAT!🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/XMFvKkyErW
— ꧁♛𝓑𝓵✯𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓼♛꧂ (@heyitsmeCarolyn) June 17, 2026
Patriotism Is Not Blindness
Whenever this subject comes up, someone inevitably argues that patriotism requires pretending America is perfect.
It does not.
America has flaws because human beings have flaws. The Founders understood that reality, which is why they created a system designed to restrain power, protect liberty, and allow future generations to correct mistakes. The country has spent nearly 250 years arguing about how to become a more perfect union, and that process remains ongoing today.
Loving your country does not require ignoring its problems.
It simply requires enough perspective to recognize that imperfections do not erase accomplishments.
Most Americans understand this instinctively. They can acknowledge the nation’s flaws while still appreciating its freedoms, its opportunities, and its ideals. Increasingly, however, that balance seems to be disappearing on the left, where criticism has become so constant that gratitude rarely makes an appearance.
So What Exactly Is The Complaint?
Every year around the Fourth of July, Americans receive another round of lectures explaining why the country falls short of its ideals. We are reminded of past failures, present divisions, and unresolved problems as though these are uniquely American conditions rather than permanent features of human society.
What we hear far less often is any acknowledgment of what America has gotten right.
The Constitution still protects individual liberty. The Bill of Rights still safeguards freedoms that billions of people throughout history never possessed. Americans still enjoy extraordinary opportunities to speak freely, worship freely, build businesses, pursue success, and shape their own futures.
That is why I keep returning to the same question.
If America has become so difficult to celebrate, what exactly is the objection?
Because for a group of people who seem increasingly reluctant to display the flag, Democrats appear awfully fond of the freedoms flying beneath it.
Feature Image: AI-generated illustration.
