Democrats have a problem with flags. While driving past a large crowd of No Kings Day of Defiance participants in North Texas last Saturday, many of the protestors not holding signs festooned with profanities could be seen holding small American flags. One communique from local No Kings organizers urged participants, “Let’s reclaim this symbol to remind the world that the freedom we stand for is freedom for all,” by instructing them to, “Bring out your American flags."
The flags in my neighborhood protests weren’t used as a singular fuel for fires, as was the case in other American cities earlier in the week, but it showed that Democrats recognize one of the problems facing a party desperately searching for a message in the absence of any coherent policies that benefit ordinary citizens: Democrats have a patriotism problem.
The No Kings advice to display the flag isn’t unique to North Texas liberals. Under the headline “Democrats reclaim the American flag,” Politico reported last week, “Democrats’ newest approach to win back voters is a fresh embrace of the nation’s oldest symbol.” We know they are very serious about showing respect for our flag because they’re using swear words to communicate the urgency of doing so. Politico earlier this year quoted Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin advising her colleagues to “f*****g retake the flag.”
The attempt by Democrats to reclaim the Stars and Stripes begs the question of when and why they abandoned it in the first place. This week, the American flag was in vogue. Earlier this month, the Mexican flag was the favorite among violent anti-law enforcement Democrats in Los Angeles and elsewhere. During countless campus protests in 2024, the Palestinian flag was on display as Democrats, liberals, progressives and others chanted ‘From the river to the sea.’ A couple years ago, the Pride flag was ubiquitous among LGBTQ radicals and their allies. Preceding the Pride flag was the flag of Ukraine, splashed across social media pages and the lapels of lawmakers. Between critics of President Trump’s saber rattling in the Middle East and the Left’s loathing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, we might start seeing Iranian flags on the streets of America soon.
Democrats have very visibly sported five different flags during protests in recent years so it’s unclear whether this latest waving of the red, white and blue will resonate with the disaffected voters they hope to attract to their cause. But therein lies the larger problem. It’s hard to discern exactly what causes Democrats are promoting. They’re just angry people.
We know a little bit about the causes that are important to Democrats. They’re upset about law enforcement seeking and apprehending the illegal aliens allowed to flood the country during the Biden administration. There’s been a lot of support for an accused wife beater and human trafficker deported to his home country earlier this year. We’ve seen considerable affection for the man facing trial in the murder of a healthcare executive. Given the recent unanimous vote by House Democrats to allow tax rates to soar in 2026, they seem to favor the cause of raising taxes on working families.
Whether waving an American flag will draw people to these Democrat causes remains to be seen but it doesn’t seem likely. What appears to be lost on liberals is the fact that to many Americans - probably most Americans - the flag is not a prop. It is not simply a piece of cloth. It represents the history and greatness and resolve of America. It’s a symbol that has expanded over the past 250 years from 13 stars to 50. It was heroically raised over Mount Suribachi in 1945, flew over Fort McHenry as the British bombarded it during the War of 1812, and was flown with determination and pride over the wreckage of the World Trade Center. It’s the basis of our national anthem. American men planted it on the Moon.
In fairness, conservatives don’t exclusively embrace the American flag either. Some fly the Gadsden flag and other pre-revolutionary banners. Others (especially Texans) prefer the defiant ‘Come And Take It’ flag, which taunted the Mexican army during their fight for independence. But all of these flags share the same underlying sentiment of the American flag - liberty and freedom from tyranny. They do not represent foreign or depraved interests. They represent the tenacious and enduring striving of the people of the greatest nation on Earth.
The American flag is a powerful symbol. Democrats are now trying to reclaim it for overt political purposes but it takes more than calculated, patriotic cosplaying to demonstrate what most of us perceive as true Americanism. All it does is show the shortcomings of a party bereft of ideas that reflect the values and virtues of one nation under God.