Progressives and patriotism: In recent years, the two haven’t mixed very well, even though it’s almost universally acknowledged that ceding the idea of national pride to the reactionary right has disastrous political consequences. But it wasn’t that long ago that Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and the young Bob Dylan claimed national pride for the left—to say nothing of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Abbie Hoffman, and that great quote from Barbara Jordan (“…an America as great as its promise.”) Indeed, the outstanding scholarship of radical historians in recent decades has shown us that for every historical atrocity, there was resistance and heroic struggle that also defines our culture and shared history. And it remains true that even with all the flaws, and yes, crimes, that came along with our nation’s founding, it’s undeniable that the “age of revolution” was born on these shores. So, how does all of this relate to the United States of America, a nation in crisis like never before since the Civil War? Its foundational principles, intended to protect us from tyranny, are under attack from the most powerful offices in the land. Is a decline into fascism the destiny of our two-and-a-half-century experiment with a democratic society? Or, rather, is what we are witnessing with MAGA a counterrevolutionary reaction that we the people can overcome through a renewed commitment to the democratic principles of our constitutional republic? Indeed, the building of a better, more true democracy now that America has become the most diverse country in human history is precisely what the white supremacist core of the MAGA movement is intent on preventing. What role does national pride—or, at the very least, pride in building a genuinely diverse and democratic America—play in our current progressive movement? This question and those above will be addressed at our Town Hall this Sunday. You won’t want to miss it! Join Professor Kaye, Hartzell, Donna, me, and hundreds of progressives from around the country this Sunday at 4pm ET/3pm CT/2pm MT/1pm PT/noon AK/10am HI. RSVP Now! | 
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