are you an American first or a Democrat first...

[WCGreen]

I think that is an essential question. Because the other side seems to value party over country.

The very idea of making it the number on priority to stop Obama is frightening. And that is what Mitch McConnell has stated as the main focus of his party.

Not Jobs, not trade, not the economy.

No, destroy President Obama...

How is it that they appear more patriotic than us?

They are patriots in name only. Period.

We need to wrap our party around the flag not wrap the flag around us like the GOP does.

[RandySF]

1. Being a Democrat means being an American first.

Being Republican means being Republican first. The Elephant always flies above the Stars and Stripes.

[asdjrocky]

2. Human first. Always. nt

[barbtries]

20. second that

human. a compassionate caring empathetic human, which means of course i lean to the left politically.

[JackRiddler]

38. Third. (The question could have been better phrased.)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. They really do, don't they?

They must see themselves as an island nation, separate from the rest of us.

They've wanted to stop Obama from the beginning. Remember how he had no honeymoon?

They may look patriotic, but to me, their patriotism is more flag-wrapped racism. And unfortunately, that still speaks to too many Americans.

Recommended.

[FiveGoodMen]

4. "Remember how he had no honeymoon?"

One WEEK after Clinton's inauguration, the right was screaming "he hasn't accomplished anything!" all over the media.

Democrats never get a honeymoon from the neo-cons.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. I hadn't remembered that...

[alanquatermass]

5. Well said, Peggy!!!

The word "patriotic" positively REEKS of greed and misogyny and racism and Islamaphobia and colonialism and narrow-minded self-interest.

We need to either redefine it, or (like the N-word) STRIKE IT FROM THE LANGUAGE!!!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Welcome to DU, alanquatermass!

And thank you for your very kind remarks.

:hi:

[FiveGoodMen]

24. Strike the word "patriotic" from the language!

Pretty ambitious, but I like the way you think.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. Neither.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

9. Human first. The world has been given a problem to solve

and it will take all of us working together to solve it, if you don't know what I'm referring to you haven't been paying attention.

[mike_c]

10. human first....

American? By accident of birth, perhaps.

[Trocadero]

11. to be really honest, Democrat

[the redcoat]

12. Liberal first

If I'm an American first, then I'm lumped in with half the country that I'd like to punch in the face right now.

While democrats are the better option, they are by no means perfect. Democrats have political and corporate affiliations too.

I am a liberal. My ideas are not bought. My ideologies are not for sale.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[immoderate]

22. Ever wonder how you'd be different if you were born somewhere else?

Would you be as patriotic? Or would you want to escape to the United States?

And how should the 95% of the world feel about the deity he didn't see fit to birth them in a good country?

Welcome to DU!

--imm

[madokie]

14. I'm a Democratic American Vietnam Vet myself

first and foremost.

[Ninga]

15. I am a union man's daughter, a liberal, worry about my brothers and sisters who

struggle for penny and scrap of food, the jobless..
I. AM. A DEMOCRAT.
Therefore, I am human.

[Naturyl]

16. Neither.

A human resident of planet earth first.

[Arugula Latte]

17. Earth Resident, Woman, and Progressive are way before "American" for me.

"American" is way, way down on my list.

[Name removed]

18. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Arugula Latte]

26. Greatest country on the planet?

We rank 49th in the world in life expectancy.
We're waaaaay down the rankings in healthcare, education, quality of life, and economic parity. We spend exponentially more of our tax money on worthless wars than do other countries and we spend billions in worthless subsidies for military contractors.
Oh, I guess we are Greatest in obesity, though, so that's something to be proud of.

[bobbolink]

28. We're first in the per capita # imprisoned. That's something isn't it?

:(

[Arugula Latte]

30. That's true.

Obesity and prisons...We rule!

[bobbolink]

31. Now, if we can just get obesity IN the prisons, we have it locked up.

Oh, wait.. some of those guards are pretty hefty....

:rofl:

[phasma ex machina]

37. Disgusting. The biggest police state on the planet. Where the powers-that-be ALWAYS win in court. nt

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

19. Interesting human response.

[David__77]

21. I am a humanist first.

My abiding commitment to social justice comes before all else.

[eomer]

23. I am a citizen of the world...

like Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809).

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[David Zephyr]

27. I am a Californian first.

:)

[rustydog]

29. Country over party sorry. American First

[Throd]

32. American

[guitar man]

33. I am human

I am a father

a husband

a breadwinner

an American

a progressive liberal bleeding heart enemy of the gawd fearing right wing "Christian" folk, the John Birch society and the KKK ( now collectively known as the Tea Party)

A Democrat

A biker

A hot rodder

A joker

A smoker


A midnight toker...

:D

[apocalipstick]

34. US citizen first

but I think the distinction between party and country is far more common within the left. How many times have you heard that you can't be a true American unless you're a Republican?

[AndrewP]

35. Human. Man. Son. Buddhist. American. Democrat.

[groundloop]

36. Kinda mad and disappointed with the country at the moment.....

Right now, and for the past couple of years, when I think about the USA I have to also think about the ongoing fight we've had with my wife's health insurance company. Maybe not a totally fair comparison, but she would have been covered in France, Canada, New Zealand, and on and on. Most Americans are too smug to accept the fact that our healthcare system sucks compared to most other developed countries.

I also have to think about our education system. Georgia passed a law last year doing away with maximum student/teacher ratios in grade school to help solve our budget crunch (while still giving away millions in tax breaks to special interests). My kids no longer have science or math textbooks they can bring home, one set per classroom to be shared by all the classes - yeah that's the way to compete with the rest of the world.

So I'm kinda' down on the US of A right now. Maybe I'll get over it, we'll see. I was thinking about this very subject today, it's like when you get a phone call from school because your child disrupted class - you still love them but right after you hang up the phone you're mad as hell and want to kick their ass.

[WCGreen]

39. As per usual....

Most people mistook the thrust of this thread...

Perhaps I should have spelled it out so that people could easily get what I was trying to get at.

Perhaps I should have done a Poll.

Perhaps I should have said between being a member of the Democratic Party and a citizen of the United States, which ranks higher to you.

I guess the reference to the way the GOP views their loyalty hierarchy was not enough.

Ah well, I guess I will just live and learn.

Nuance and subtlety do not always work the day after a crushing defeat at the polls.

[Zax2me]

40. DEM - but to me that is the same as American...

I say I am a Democrat with the American part being assumed...
Obviously as a Democrat I have the countries best interests at heart.