Your Progressive Patriotism

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We've just got about 10 minutes left in the show today, and I want to use them to just open up the phones again on one of the themes of the DNC this week and hear your own take for yourself or for the world. The question is, if Harris and the convention were largely about projecting a progressive version of patriotism, did that resonate with you? If it did, how would you describe progressive patriotism as opposed to the kind that might make you cringe when you hear it from the right?

212-433-WNYC. 212-433-9692. Again, if you consider yourself a progressive patriot, what does that mean for you? How is that different from the expressions of patriotism that might make you cringe when you hear them from the right? 212-433-WNYC. For those of you who would consider yourself progressive, patriots, put it into more than two words, 212-433-9692.

Did the convention, which that was one of the big themes of one of the big messages of, resonate with you in that respect? As your calls are coming in, here's another example, in addition to the one we played earlier in the show of Harris waxing patriotic, in this case referring to the US inspiring the world. Here we go.

Kamala Harris: I love our country with all my heart. Everywhere I go, everywhere I go, in everyone I meet, I see a nation that is ready to move forward, ready for the next step in the incredible journey that is America. I see an America where we hold fast to the fearless belief that built our nation and inspired the world. That here in this country, anything is possible, that nothing is out of reach. An America where we care for one another, look out for one another, and recognize that we have so much more in common than what separates us, [applause] that none of us, none of us has to fail for all of us to succeed, [applause] and that in unity, there is strength.

Brian Lehrer: if Harris and the convention were largely about projecting a progressive version of patriotism, did that resonate with you? If it did, how would you describe your progressive patriotism as opposed to the kind that might make you cringe when you hear it from the right? 212-433-WNYC. Call or text and we'll take your calls right after this.

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Okay, our time is short, so I'm going to ask you to keep your answers short. Your reactions to Kamala Harris and the convention leaning into a progressive patriotism, and what is that according to you? If you consider yourself that. Debbie in Astoria, you're on WNYC. Hi, Debbie.

Debbie: Hi, there. I'll try to make this fast. I have always been a progressive patriot because in spite of ourselves, we have made great strides. Civil rights, women's rights, gay people are able to marry, and we're going to move forward in that direction. It might be different from flag-waving and parades. My patriotism comes from the advances that we've been able to make. Thank you.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very, very much. Damani in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Damani.

Damani: Yes, hi.

Brian Lehrer: I think we have a bad line. Give it a shot, but I might need to move on. Yes, I hear you.

Damani: Okay. Okay, great. I did resonate with Kamala's message. I think that new patriotism is actually circling back to our original patriotic self with a hybrid sense of who we are as a people. Because of all the turbulent turbulence we've been through these last, I'd say, 10 to 12 years, we really had to rediscover who we are. Patriotism nowadays is not about economics. It's not about necessary, like health and wealth. It's more about people. I think that what Kamala was trying to resonate or tried to express is that we need to be able to hear each other more. We need to be able to listen to each other more, and talk to each other more, and not be so divisive. I think that taking away politics and economy and dealing with people is the new patriotic way. I'm all about that.

Brian Lehrer: Damani, thank you. Thank you very much and glad your phone held up. Delilah in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hello, Delilah.

Delilah: Hi. I'll try to keep it quick, but it comes up a lot. Most of my friends and family are liberal Democrats, which I am, too, but I consider myself very patriotic. Sometimes I will say things half-jokingly, like, I'll be like, "Well, I could stay traveling in the United States for the rest of my life." It sounds ignorant, and people might make fun of me, but I'm like, "We have everything. We have palm trees. We have mountains. we have the desert. We have such a huge country." I love that we're diverse. I love that you can cover yourself in tattoos, that you can wear whatever you want, gay rights, civil rights. We've made a lot of mistakes, and some of the things that we've done in the past, it turns my stomach, but I think if we could just all look at each other like Americans and appreciate the work that it took to get here, then we would all be-- We should love our country a little bit more. I'm going to try to do that by volunteering more, I realized over time.

Brian Lehrer: Is there a patriotism you don't like that makes you go, oh?

Delilah: One thing that bothers me is I sold your screener, I buy stuff with the American flag and then my cousins mostly will make fun of me and say, "Oh, you're going to look like a Republican." I say, "No, I'm reclaiming the American flag." I don't know if that exactly answers your question, but I don't like that the American flag has become associated with that.

Brian Lehrer: Yes, and they certainly tried to do that with a lot of American flags, a lot of USA signs and chants at the Democratic convention this week. Delilah, thank you very much. Listener texts, "I feel like Republicans frame patriotism in terms of winning. We are the best country in the world. I'd like to define patriotism, " this listener writes, "as embodying the values of the founding of our democracy the best we can, everyone being treated equally and being ensured of certain unalienable rights." Sam in Peekskill doesn't like this whole framing, I don't think. Sam, you're on WNYC. Hi there.

Sam: Hi, Brian. Thank you for taking my call. Yes, I just don't think we should be calling this progressive patriotism. I think that we should just recognize that patriotism is what it always has been, which is the right to criticize your government without fear of persecution. The kind that I don't like is the jingoistic patriotism that says you're either with us or you're our enemy. Thank you and I'll hang up.

Brian Lehrer: Very succinct. Thank you very much. Matt on Staten Island is going to get the last word. Matt, we have about 15 seconds for you. Hi.

Matt: Oh, wow. Well, yes, I like Kamala leaning into this patriotic rhetoric that usually people on the right would use, but is a little bit more inclusive because I think they've co-opted this language for a long time, saying that there's real Americans and then everyone else. I also like how they're using- they have a hat for the campaign that is reclaiming camo or--

Brian Lehrer: Oh?

Matt: Yes, camo. I think it's very stylish and [crosstalk]--

Brian Lehrer: Camo for camo. I have to leave it there because we're out of time. I had not seen that yet. Camo hats for the Harris campaign. I'll have to look for that.

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Brian Lehrer: All right. Thanks, everybody, for your calls. That's our show for this week and our DNC coverage.

Thanks to everybody who participated, all of you on the phone. We had so many guests who donated a lot of time, even during crazy busy weeks for them in Chicago. Of course, our producers, Mary Croke, Lisa Allison, Amina Srna, Carl Boisrand and Esperanza Rosenbaum. Zach Gottehrer-Cohen, who edits our national politics podcast and had more to do on those this week. Megan Ryan is the head of live radio. Our intern worked hard, too. Lucinda Emson Speedon, Juliana Fonda and Milton Ruiz at the audio controls. Have a great weekend.

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