George McGovern: "Democrats are Patriotic Too"

George McGovern wrote an article entitled “Patriotism is Nonpartisan” in the current issue of Nation magazine. In it McGovern says,

“There is a notion abroad in American politics, carefully crafted by its proponents, that is both disturbing and false…The notion is that my party, and especially its standard-bearer of '72, are not interested in the defense and security of America. Nor, according to this notion, do we care about marriage and the family, the sacredness of human life and the things of the spirit. Perhaps my views are outdated, but I have always assumed that every American cares about these values; consequently, they are not issues for partisan exploitation.”

McGovern then goes on to give an account of his life as a public servant and military veteran and defended his views on cutting defense and lifting the embargo on Cuba in an effort to prove his loyalty and patriotism.

Where do I begin?

First, I don’t doubt McGovern’s patriotism or loyalty, nor do I doubt that of the vast majority of Democrats. But I think his thesis that Republicans question his patriotism completely misses the point, just as it did when the Democratic leadership repeated the same diatribe ad nauseam during the 2004 campaign. I also question his argument that all Americans care about marriage, family or the sacredness of human life to the same degree. Many do not have the same beliefs and it’s important to point out those differences during political debates.

Like John Kerry, John Edwards, and other leading Democrats who called on Republicans to “stop questioning their patriotism,” McGovern is using the same tactic to obfuscate the fact that his liberal ideology has not had much of an influence on the success of America at the end of the 20^th century. However, the “questioning his patriotism” charge is ludicrous. Republicans may have questioned Democrats’ stance on national defense, their commitment to the War on Terror, and many of their Liberal policies, but not their patriotism.

Since McGovern brings up the impugning of patriotism, let’s look at the facts. During the election, both sides criticized each other’s policies. However, I think he has the accused and accusers backwards: nearly the entire Democratic leadership explicitly called into question the Administration’s patriotism:

John Kerry: “It’s unpatriotic to ship our jobs overseas” [referring to Bush’s free trade policies]. (I won’t even bother getting into the Winter Soldier testimony here.)

Theresa Heinz-Kerry: Called Dick Cheney “unpatriotic” for deferring his service to enter Vietnam.

Wesley Clark: About “Bush’s War:” “That is not patriotic.” About speaking to the soldiers onboard a carrier: "I don't think it's patriotic to dress up in a flight suit and prance around."

Howard Dean: “I think it's unpatriotic to do some of the things that this president has done to the country.”

Al Gore: “He [Bush] betrayed this country…”

Ted Kennedy: “Shamefully we now learn that Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management, U.S. management." And “Lie after lie after lie…”... “The whole thing [Iraq War] was a fraud.”

Max Cleland: The canard is that Republicans, by questioning Cleland’s positions on the Patriot Act and War on Terror, somehow belittled his patriotism. The truth is that Cleland was the one who accused Bush of going “AWOL,” which is the essence of disloyalty to one’s country.

And these quotes are only from the Democratic Party leadership and are only the most obvious quotes. When we look at Moveon.org, media journalists, college professors and Hollywood stars, it gets even worse. And the American public understands that the vast majority of the aforementioned people are Democrats. They belong to the party and are also embraced by Democratic leadership. Remember Michael Moore, who said that the Iraqi terrorists are really “Minutemen” and that “they will win?” If Michael Moore is not part of the mainstream Democrat thinking, why have Democratic leaders embraced him? And this recent Moveon.org rally shows just how closely the Democratic party has aligned itself with the group.

So what constitutes an unpatriotic action? How about rooting against one’s country in a war? I think most sane people would consider that to be unpatriotic. John Hawkins had a great post from the Democratic Underground on the subject. Even if this Far-left crowd doesn’t represent the majority of Democrats, they have found a comfortable home within the Democratic party. Hawkins also points out this poll within the DU site about whether they are “proud to be American.” Now, maybe the poll question was vague or interpreted as meaning something different, but “proud to be an American” is the definition of patriotism.

Hoping the U.S. fails in its foreign policy just to spite the current administration is unpatriotic. Calling the leaders of our country “Hitlers,” “The Taliban” and “more dangerous than Saddam Hussein” is unpatriotic. Burning a flag is unpatriotic. (Do you think that protestors around the world burning flags and chanting “Death to America” do so because of their love for America?) Who does this more accurately represent – those on the Left or Right?

Democrats may want to blame the Republicans for the public’s perception of them, but instead of wasting time trying to convince people that they are patriotic too, maybe they should instead distance themselves from those in their party that hate their country and everything in stands for.

{Linking to Open Post at Mudville Gazette}