Say what you will about President Donald Trump's character, policies, or social media habits, but one thing is for sure: he's not ashamed to be an American. In the spirit of unabashed patriotism and to celebrate America's 250th anniversary, he launched the Great American State Fair, running June 25-July 10, on the National Mall. The goal is to highlight state pride and our nation's history and culture with film screenings, musical performances, and a rodeo.
However, in the spirit of a growing lack of patriotism among Americans nationwide, especially Democrats, Newsweek reported that at least 10 states—including Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Pennsylvania—would not officially participate. Nine of those states boast Democratic governors.
While it's certainly their state's right to decline, thanks to federalism, this is still bad form and shows a lack of unity and patriotism due to political partisanship.
What's up with the lack of patriotism in Democratic states?
State officials gave their reasons for not participating. Several states said they couldn't because of budget constraints or other scheduling issues. But it still seems like a reasonable task for states that operate with significant state and federal taxpayer subsidies. The ask is just to fill a small pavilion with memorabilia from the state.
The office of Gov. Tina Kotek said Oregon withdrew because "the cost of participating in the Fair and growing concerns that the event in Washington, D.C. is shaping up to be a more partisan affair than originally presented."
If by 'partisan' Kotek means 'spearheaded by a Republican president,' that is correct. I presume there are no Republicans in Oregon, then?
Pennsylvania initially declined then rallied, according to reporting by Washington Examiner's Salena Zito. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro originally said he would not send a delegation to the fair because Pennsylvania businesses weren't interested. PennAg, the state's leading agricultural trade organization, asked Beth Ann Bossio, a board member of the Pennsylvania Christmas Tree Growers Association, to help. Within days, small-business owners and larger companies chipped in to ensure that Pennsylvania was represented.
For some reason, the event itself has sparked fury among some media outlets, even though America's 250th celebration is a big deal, and whatever president was in power—regardless of party—was bound to honor it in some national way, right?
"I Went to Trump's Great American State Fair So You Don't Have To," a headline at The New Republic read. The Telegraph called the fair "a sad state of affairs." The fair stretches from the Washington Monument to the Capitol and there are many buildings set up for different pavilions, from states to government agencies, to art and history exhibits and food stalls.
At the same time, other outlets reported a different story. NBC News said they interviewed over a dozen attendees on both sides of the political aisle, and no one thought that the atmosphere was political. The mood on the Mall is very America and not political at all.
It seems like Democrats are struggling to love America simply because a majority of Americans elected a Republican to lead it. Even when I see that data confirms this, I don't understand it. If Democrats only feel patriotic when a Democrat is in power, this suggests they love power more than they love America. That's not patriotism at all.
It seems like Democrats are mad that Trump loves America and wants to hold events that encourage patriotism and unity. Genuine question: do they want a Republican president who doesn't love America? I hope this means that the next time a Democrat is president, perhaps on America's 275th birthday, all Democratic-run states will participate in any nationwide events. Or maybe this means there just won't be any, since patriotism is fledgling among the left.
Either way, Americans should unabashedly celebrate 250 years of excellence, no matter who is president. States that declined to participate miss an opportunity to take part in events meant to highlight shared American pride and they withhold the opportunity of their constituents to to show off the glories of their own states. National unity propelled these same states through 1776, not partisan division. A president leads a nation but he doesn't define it, the people do that.
