Patriotism and American Political Culture

While you wade into these murky waters as part of the homework due Monday/Tuesday, consider this recent development in the presidential campaign:

Obama Stops Wearing Flag Pin
By MIKE GLOVER

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin because it has become a substitute for "true patriotism" since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Asked about it Wednesday in an interview with KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Illinois senator said he stopped wearing the pin shortly after the attacks and instead hoped to show his patriotism by explaining his ideas to citizens.

"The truth is that right after 9/11 I had a pin," Obama said. "Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security.

"I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest," he said in the interview. "Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testament to my patriotism."

On Thursday, his campaign issued a statement: "We all revere the flag, but Senator Obama believes that being a patriot is about more than a symbol. It's about fighting for our veterans when they get home and speaking honestly with the American people about this disastrous war."

You can link to the full article here: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkfaEohqv6mY_K46tJ4waCivh0kAD8S2K3UO0

UPDATE (Sat, 10/6, 9:00am): Now the NYT Opinionator Blog has weighed in about Obama's "Patriotism Fashion Statement" and the comments from readers are fascinating too. Check it all out here: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/05/fashion-statement/index.html?ex=1349323200&en=acd9108ea586209d&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Video Blogger hired by Politico

At the risk of beating a dead horse... You know you have the traditional media scared when they hire you:

James Kotecki, one of YouTube’s most popular political video bloggers has been hired by the respected Politico.com (an online and paper daily focused on political news). Kotecki began posting videos to YouTube from his Georgetown University dorm room in late January, 2007. Three months later, he hosted Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) in the first-ever dorm room interview with a Presidential candidate. He has since interviewed a total of seven Presidential candidates including former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.). He has appeared on CNN, Fox News, NPR, and the BBC, and he has been profiled by The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Yahoo! News, and US News and World Report.

The story from Politico can be found here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1007/6142.html

This Week in AP U.S. Gov #6

The sixth week is here. Many of you are probably thinking that grades are coming soon, so let's start this "this week" there...

Unit 1 Exam - 100 points in the gradebook: take your m/c and frq scores, add them, divide by 65 and you'll get your score. So, if you're score was the class average of 47.7 you get 72.3 points in the gradebook.

What else is in the gradebook? Well, you've got two chapter reading quizzes (ch. 1 & 2), three weeks of blogging, several sets of homework points, and this week you'll pick up quiz points on Thur/Fri and another week's worth of blog points on Friday.

We're starting Unit 2, Political Beliefs and Behaviors this week. We'll be learning how people get their ideas about government and politics. How did your friend become a bleeding heart liberal? How did your other friend become a family values conservative? Why is public opinion split on so many issues? We'll answer these questions and many more in the next few weeks.

I'll be posting the Unit 2 Basics soon. Don't wait 'till the last minute this time! I'm going to toss in a wrinkle called the "Unit Basics Quiz". You love it...

~Mr. G.