NEWS AND OPINION:
On July Fourth, Gallup released a timely poll that found that 45% of Americans said they were “extremely” proud of their country. That finding included 76% of Republicans — but only 22% of Democrats.
As August approaches, another survey reveals a similar trend.
About half of all Americans — 49% — now personally describe themselves as “very patriotic.” That sentiment has a heavy partisan divide that could suggest that a certain segment of the population feels that traditional patriotism is offensive, politically incorrect or irrelevant.
Perhaps it’s all three.
And now the numbers: 72% of Republicans say they are very patriotic, along with 44% of independents. Just 36% of Democrats feel that way — exactly half of the GOP percentage. Among those who voted for President Trump, 81% said they were very patriotic.
The findings are from a new Economist/YouGov poll, and they further suggest that disgruntled or discouraged Democratic voters could prove a tough audience when 20 of their party’s presidential hopefuls gather for a debate in Detroit later this week.
And the rest of the patriotic factor, according to the YouGov survey: A third of Americans overall say they are “’somewhat patriotic’: 22% of Republicans, 35% of independents and 39% Democrats agree. Another 19% overall day they are not very, or ’not at all patriotic.’” That includes 6% of Republicans, 22% of independents and a quarter of Democrats.
More telling numbers in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
AL GORE’S CLIMATE CRISIS CURRICULUM
The Climate Reality Project, an aggressive activist group founded by former Vice President Al Gore 11 years ago, now is aiming their message at the national school system.
“Burning fossil fuels like coal and oil is causing a climate crisis that’s sending temperatures skyrocketing, killing our crops, and causing seas to rise,” the organization notes in a new outreach.
“This is a huge problem. One that has many parents asking: ’How can I prepare my kids for the future in a warming world?’ The answer is to advocate for comprehensive, standards-based climate science education in school curriculums everywhere,” the group advises.
“Our kids are our future. It is morally and ethically right to give them the tools they need to fight for it. Hiding the truth by not being honest about the climate crisis can have a profound impact on children. It will make the crisis harder to process and reality more difficult to confront down the road,” the organization says.
Now comes the classroom.
“Teaching young people about the urgency and impacts of the climate crisis is crucial, but just as important is making sure that message isn’t wrong or incomplete — and that means rigorous, standards-based education. We need to be shouting carefully evaluated facts from the rooftops,” the group says.
NOT WHAT THE FOUNDING FATHERS HAD IN MIND
“President Trump and others are routinely accused of hate speech by political opponents, but for a sizable majority of Americans, political correctness remains the bigger problem,” says a new Rasmussen Reports survey.
It found that only a quarter of Americans — 26% — believe Americans have true freedom of speech today. More than two-thirds — 68% — disagree, saying Americans must avoid saying anything politically incorrect lest they get “in trouble.”
The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults was conducted July 15-16.
MEANWHILE IN TIJUANA
“A growing number of expectant mothers are among the migrants coming in daily from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador — even Haiti — to more than 30 already overflowing shelters in Tijuana, Mexico,” writes Heidi de Marco, a multimedia reporter for Kaiser Health News.
“More women are arriving pregnant with babies. We have a lot of Haitian women and some Central Americans,” Gustavo Banda, pastor of the Ambassadors of Jesus church — which operates a shelter — told her.
Some women also get pregnant after they arrive, Ms. de Marco said.
“It’s a period of great anxiety, if only because many want their children born in the United States. The U.S. Constitution guarantees that every child born on American soil automatically becomes a U.S. citizen. Mexico also offers birthright citizenship, but it’s not exactly the same: A child born in Mexico, regardless of their parents’ nationalities, automatically becomes a Mexican citizen when they turn 18,” she said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection keeps no record of how many pregnant women have applied for asylum, but Mexican shelters now report the number is rising.
“The biggest health challenge these women face is finding a place to deliver their babies in Mexico if they’re still waiting for their asylum cases to be heard. To give birth in a Mexican hospital, they must sign up for the Seguro Popular health insurance program — similar to Medicaid in the U.S. But to qualify for an in-hospital birth, they must have obtained an ultrasound, which has been a difficult requirement for most of these women to meet,” Phil Canete, clinic coordinator for the nonprofit Refugee Health Alliance, told Ms. de Marco.
FOXIFIED
A new season of “What Made America Great” begins Monday on Fox Nation, emphasizing the past strengths of the nation. Host Brian Kilmeade is in the nation’s capital for a unique episode titled “The Women Saving History.”
He visits the headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution with its “President General” Denise VanBuren to witness how women have ensured that “history is kept alive.”
Fox Nation is the on-demand streaming service of Fox News.
POLL DU JOUR
• 40% of Americans say Republicans are “somewhat patriotic”; 37% say the same about Democrats.
• 31% say Republicans are “very patriotic”; 23% say the same about Democrats.
• 15% say Republicans are “not very patriotic”; 20% say the same of Democrats.
• 14% say Republicans are “not at all patriotic”; 20% say the same of Democrats.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted July 21-23.
• Helpful information to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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