The American Exceptionalism theme was brilliant

[obamanut2012]

I am one who doesn't believe in American Exceptionalism. I also think patriotism can very easily bleed into nationalism and jingoism and become something very scary.

Having said that, I want to quote something from TPM:

The evening also hammered home the stark tonal difference between the two conventions. After Trump painted America as a downcast country in need of a billionaire savior, night after night of all-star DNC speakers preached a sermon of American exceptionalism, with values that unify us all – talking points once exclusively owned by Republicans.

I agree with TPM.

For too long, the GOP has claimed the mantle of "Real Americans": mainly white, straight, privileged. That is not America. It never was America.

America was built on the sweat of working class men and women, the hopes of immigrants, the forced bondage of blacks stolen from their homeland. It was a land of hope for my great-grandparents who came here and built a small business and raised four sons they sent to WWII, sons who then raised children and grandchildren who became the first in their line to ever go to college.

The GOP claimed the flag and the right to be the "real" America. Their convention was doom and gloom and no hope, with the saviors white, straight, privileged men. The DNC's convention was built on hope and a bright future, with all of us having a hand in making that future.

So, I didn't mind General John Allen's battlefield rallying speech, or chants of USA, or any of that. Because, as much as I dislike American Exceptionalism, I hate American Exclusionism more.

#imwithher

[Starry Messenger]

1. What a difference 12 years makes.

I remember when people discussed the GOP and the "security mom" vote.

Several GOP Twitter personalities were sunk in despair by the whole convention, which feels good.

[obamanut2012]

8. Exactly

As we said last night, Hillary should get most of the "Security Mom" vote this go around.

[merrily]

2. I could not disagree more. Telling Republicans they are not the only "real Americans" can be

done extremely effectively without engaging in some of their worst traits. When Obama was criticized for lack of a flag pin, Obama did it by pointing out how they vote.



I don't know know if American Exceptionalism was the theme because I fell asleep. However, if it was, I cannot praise it.

[obamanut2012]

9. YMV

[merrily]

22. Do you mean YMMV?

[m-lekktor]

19. Exactly. nt

[merrily]

23. That's *really* showing Republicans, isn't it? Copying them while we demonize them?

They really suck, but how much like them can we act without crossing a line?

That's pure DLC, from religion to jingoism to dismantling social safety nets, etc.

[liberal N proud]

3. The GOP had a golden throne

[auntpurl]

13. Bloody hell, is that their ACTUAL convention?

That is terrifying.

[liberal N proud]

17. Yes - Yes it was

[obamanut2012]

18. Almost -- the part where it says TRUMP

was a jumbotron.

[Cosmocat]

24. What is, well that is expected

there before their eyes, clear as day.

TRUMP above all else.

But, these people will, like robots, just parrot how patriotic they are and how the evil liberals hate america.

[meow2u3]

26. The REAL tRump golden throne

[stone space]

4. I can still remember the daily repeated chants of "USA! USA! USA! USA!" outside my office window.

It was decades ago, in 1980, but the memory is still crystal clear.

Students and others would gather every day outside the administration building, which was right next to the math department here, wave flags and shout, "USA! USA!".

There was a restaurant here in Ames, with a sign posted, "Iranians not welcome here", first on small card, and later in huge red letters on a giant billboard next to the restaurant.

One day, a friend, who was married to an Iranian, was in an university dormitory elevator, and 5 guys got into the elevator with her.

They shouted "USA! USA!" at her.

By the time the elevator door opened, my friend's body was cut and bruised, and she had several broken ribs.

These were ugly, ugly times here in Iowa, and whenever I hear such chants, I am filled with fear.

[SticksnStones]

5. The crowd wasn't chanting in an ominous overpowering way

It felt more like they were reclaiming the phrase. Collectively saying "we're USA too. This is America too! We can be proud of this country too." Republicans don't own patriotism.

To me, that's how the chants came across.


That and they were most effective at drowning out ill-timed protests from the opposition.

[FSogol]

10. +1. n/t

[obamanut2012]

12. Yes, agreed

[Starry Messenger]

16. Yes.

People trying to blow this up into 1984/Orwellian levels of nationalism are adorbs.

[leftofcool]

7. That was then, this is now. Moving forward, stronger together, all ethnic groups

[obamanut2012]

11. They were chanting to mask the BoB disrupters' chants

And, to me, is was like teh chants at a WNT World Cup match anyway.

[obamanut2012]

20. And yeah, this was nothing at all like that

I guess you didn't see the gentleman and his wife, who are Muslim, who spoke about their son who died in combat, and how the crowd rose to them.

[Cha]

6. The USA! Chants were there to drown out the obnoxious and rude jill stein whiners disrupting

Elijah Cummings and those who came after him.

I was very grateful for them!

USA!

[Cosmocat]

14. Very nice post!

nm

[obamanut2012]

15. Thanks!

[ismnotwasm]

21. I can never rise to the point of being a nationalist

Too much human suffering in the world, and, well, it takes a village.

That being said, I was in tears by the diversity and the inclusiveness of the convention. When Hillary said "Indian country to coal country" I lost it.

We are Americans, and I believe as such a power in the world hold responsibility to be the very best we can be, to address our flaws, which definitely includes racism and a host of other 'isms"

Time to acknowledge them, address them, and get rid of them. Time to move forward to defeat exclusionism in all its toxic forms

[brer cat]

25. +1. nt

[DinahMoeHum]

27. Exceptionalism, SI. . .Exclusionism, NO

Thanx, pal. I'm all in with her.

[some guy]

28. I'll be outside.

I've always thought that was an ignorant response to any criticism of the US - we'll yell USA! over and over again until you shut up and go away with your notion that the US might be less than wonderful. That used to be right wing jingoism. Now the Dems have embraced it.

Of course Hillary is a right winger, so it ought not surprise anyone.

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
(Orwell, from Animal Farm)

Thus endeth the Democratic party as a counterweight to fascist imperialism.