Patriotism in Presidential Politics

Candidates in the 2008 Presidential campaign are subject to rumors, accusations, and ridicule from the media, the public, and their opponents, but aside from the issues, some petty and often trivial attacks can make headlines and prove important in the race for the White House.

Patriotism has been a major part of the image of the candidates, and Barack Obama has come under fire from conservatives and Republicans saying that he is unpatriotic. However, the lack of “patriotism” they are citing is not love of the state, about which Obama says “that I owe everything I am to this country”. But instead the attacks are related to Obama not putting his hand over his heart during the national anthem, him not wearing an American flag pin, and his possible Muslim background, which has been debunked.

Attacks come from every angle for a presidential candidate, and a recent attack was made about a $200 campaign contribution to his 2001 Illinois senate race from a founder of a group with possible connections to bombings of the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon in the 1970s. But the bombings occurred forty years ago when Obama was 8 years old.

Other ridicule has been directed at him because of comments his wife made about only being proud of the U.S.  for the first time recently. Obama explained “She simply misspoke. What she was referring to was [that] this was the first time she has been proud of politics in America.” He went on further to say,

“That’s true of a lot of people who have been cynical and disenchanted. And she’s spoken about how she has been cynical about American politics for a very long time, but she’s proud of how people are participating and getting involved in ways that they haven’t in a very long time.”

Candidates are constantly under the scrutiny of the public and their opponents, and beliefs of patriotism affect their images as well as the image of the country. The U.S. needs a leader who is strongly patriotic, and citizens as well as the media will always point out the shortcomings or mistakes of a candidate for president. Patriotism in U.S. society is a requirement for political leadership, and the national politics of presidential races brings up all sorts of candidates’ characteristics. Patriotism in our nation and society is a major factor in elections, and it also affects the image of the U.S.; therefore it is an essential part of American politics.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/02/24/obama.patriotism/index.html?iref=newssearch