Will the American dream last another 250 years?

The headline question was posed to viewers by CNN’s Michael Smerconish on his Saturday morning show.  The results of his informal poll were 50.22 percent “no” and 49.78 percent voted “yes” – out of 57,586 respondents.  A virtual tie.  That is a very grim outcome – especially when you consider that the informal poll was taken on the Independence Day weekend.

We also now know which side is driving those sad numbers.  CNN’s, numbers guru, Harry Enten, reported on what he described as a “dramatic collapse” of pride by Democrats – according to the latest Gallup poll.  Only 36 percent of Democrats now say they are “extremely” or “very” proud to be American – down from 87 percent in 2001. The high number can be attributed to the attack on the New York towers.  

Among GenZ Democrats, the numbers are even worse.  Only 24 percent are proud to be an American.  That number does not bode well for the future of the nation. 

According to Gallup, 98 percent of Republicans said they were very proud Americans back in 2001.  Unlike the Democrats, GOP pride has remained in the high 80 to 90 percentiles during Republican and Democrat administrations.  Democrat pride tends to be more partisan – fluctuating at which party holds the White House. 

These fluctuations, however, are nothing compared to the plunge that began around 2012 — and has been in free-fall since President Trump came down the escalator.  With a slight rebound during the Biden years.  It does appear that only when Democrats are not in charge do they believe that the nation is worthy of pride and patriotism. 

Beginning in the late 1960s, a more radical critique of America emerged on the left. The Vietnam War, Watergate, and systemic racial injustice led many to question not just American policy but the legitimacy of the American democracy itself.  That may explain why those evergreen anti-government protests – including the violent ones – are a product of the Democratic Party’s left wing and feature iconic flag burning and desecration of American monuments.

This skepticism over American exceptionalism – the heart of patriotism — hardened over time, especially in academic and cultural institutions, where dubious narratives of oppression and systemic failure too often replaced those of opportunity and progress.

We can also recall when Michelle Obama famously – or infamously – said, “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country.” She made that statement in 2008 as her husband was campaigning for the presidency.  Despite their privileged life – a truly only-in-America success story — she was never proud of her country when Barack was a college professor, a state senator, or a United States Senator?

This alienation is echoed in the rhetoric of other prominent progressive voices. Consider Elie Mystal, a justice correspondent (oh, the irony) for The Nation, who recently declared on The Joy Reid Podcast that “we [America] are the bad guys” on the world stage.  Mystal called for international sanctions against the United States, likening America to such rogue states as North Korea and Iran. He argued that America is a “menace to peaceful people everywhere” and should be “rebuked” by the global community.  Joy Reid, herself, echoed similar sentiments — often framing Republicans as inherently anti-American.

Members of “The Squad — Democratic Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib—have also been sharply critical of American institutions. Omar once described America as “evil”.  Tlaib has refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance – a drastic rebuke of her own congressional oath.

In the entertainment world, figures like Robert De Niro – who described America as a “failed experiment in democracy” — have used their platforms to express contempt for America – often with threats to renounce their citizenship and move abroad.  In fact, television personalities Rosie O’Donnell and Eleanor DeGeneres have done just that. 

This alienation of Democrats from the patriotic core – and the devotion to identity politics – has resulted in divisive tribalism. Americans increasingly identify more strongly with their political, racial, or gender identity than with their national identity. The idea of a shared American story—one that includes both triumph and tragedy—is being replaced by competing narratives.  As the polling shows, Republicans tend to embrace national unity and assimilation, apart from partisan political differences. While Democrats see those differences as foundational.

This growing partisan chasm in patriotic sentiment is not just a cultural curiosity—it’s a profound indication of a nation struggling with its identity. The erosion of shared national pride has undermined the very idea of E Pluribus Unum— “out of many, one”—and has contributed to a climate where symbols like Old Glory, the National Anthem, and the Pledge of Allegiance are more divisive than unifying.

The Gallup poll is more than a data point—it’s a warning. If pride in being American becomes a partisan issue, then the very idea of America as a unified nation is at risk. The challenge of our time is not just political—it is existential. Will we remain a nation, or will we become a collection of tribes sharing a border but not a future?

This fragmentation is dangerous. A nation cannot survive without a sense of common purpose. Patriotism, properly understood, is not blind loyalty—it is the belief that a country is worth improving because it is worth preserving.

As we have now entered the 250^th anniversary season – with the celebration of the American Army’s 250th anniversary on June 14^th, and the kick-off for the yearlong celebration of America’s 250^th anniversary culminating on July 4, 2026 – it seems a relevant question.  It is something we, as a nation, should ponder and discuss as we celebrate America’s semi-quincentennial anniversary.

Is it too late for America to reunite? Can the American Republic survive another 250 years, as Michael Smerconish asked?    I do not know – and that uncertainty is scary.

So, there ‘tis.

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