Did the Democrats woo the Republicans with flags at the DNC?

When Democrats waved flags and stood for freedom in Chicago this week, they looked, well, a lot like Republicans.

Not that any one party has a monopoly on patriotism; the flag belongs to all of us. But it was abundantly clear that Vice President Kamala Harris and her party were seeking favor with Americans who have historically been aligned with the GOP but are disillusioned with Donald Trump. Dusting off the GOP's big tent and decorating it with red, white and blue flags was smart politics.

When delegates began chanting “USA! USA! USA!” on Thursday night at the United Center – whose name invited Republicans to the party – you could actually close your eyes and imagine you were listening to a Trump rally. The only things missing were the MAGA hats and Lee Greenwood.

American flags are part of almost every political event, but even The Washington Post noted that the DNC's emphasis on patriotism seemed pronounced this week, a calculated move to regain valuable territory lost to Trump, who is known for hugging and kissing the flag. The Post interviewed two delegates from Washington state wearing red, white and blue sashes and cowboy hats. One of them, Ted Jones, said, “We're taking back the rural areas. We're taking back the land. They can't claim it as their own. Just because a truck with an American flag drives by, we have to stop saying, 'There goes a Trump supporter.'”

And that's exactly what's happening. In a column in the Washington Post, Rick Reilly described what it's like to ride around on his bike with a 2' x 3' American flag – one person shouted “Yeah! Go Trump!” as they rode by, another person was much less positive about the former president.

The flag was a natural symbol for the campaign slogan “Make America Great Again,” and presidents other than Trump have worn a flag-shaped pin. (Richard Nixon started the practice.) But the media has repeatedly labeled Trump's connection to the flag as appropriation or something even more malicious—”Trump weaponized the American flag” (Fast Company), “The changing meaning of the American flag under Trump” (The New Yorker), and “Since when does Donald Trump own the American flag?” (The Washington Post).

And although the flag belongs to neither party, people on the left who have burned and torn down the American flag at various anti-war protests – including those in Chicago this week – have contributed to the belief that the flag is most popular on the right. The same goes for polls that show that more Republicans than Democrats are proud to be American and have a positive opinion of the American flag.

And for some conservatives, it's hard to forget that Michelle Obama once controversially said, “For the first time in my adult life, I'm truly proud of my country,” and that Barack Obama made headlines in 2007 when he stopped wearing a pin with the flag on it. Neither Obama nor Bill Clinton wore pins during their speeches this week; in contrast, Trump wore one every night at the RNC in Milwaukee.

It wasn't just the abundance of flags that sparked conversation, but also the Democrats' overarching theme of “freedom,” which Matt Welch in Reason found ridiculous, given that Democrats were more likely than Republicans to support lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in particular, has come under renewed fire for his COVID-19 policies since Harris nominated him as her running mate. Videos of angry Minneapolis police officers shooting paintballs at people sitting on their porches, violating a curfew imposed after the murder of George Floyd, are circulating on social media and conservative talk shows. Many conservatives online are mocking the Democrats' celebration of freedom.

This is not the first time Republicans and Democrats have argued over patriotic elements at their conventions. In 2020, the Pledge of Allegiance became a point of contention during the DNC because misleading reports surfaced on social media that Democrats had removed the words “under God” from the pledge during the convention.

According to fact-checkers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the pledge was recited in full every night of the convention, although the words “under God” were omitted at least three times during daytime caucuses. Social media posts by Donald Trump and others wrongly equated the actions of some radicals with those of all Democrats.

And people are willing to believe such things when they are frequently told, “The Democratic Party hates America.” This is the title of a book by Mark Levin and a claim I often hear on conservative talk shows.

However, polls confirm that Republicans are actually prouder of America than Democrats. According to a HarrisX poll conducted for Deseret News earlier this year, 78 percent of Republicans said they were “very proud” of their country, compared to 64 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents.

And of course, people who are proud of America are more likely to fly the flag, regardless of their political affiliation. So Republicans should appreciate the patriotic display at the DNC, and Democrats who believe Trump has appropriated the flag have all the more reason to fly it.