Quote:
Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis
I think there's a difference between saying you don't feel blessed (or lucky) to be an American and saying that you feel that this country has fallen short of its ideals (whatever you believe them to be). After all, wasn't the entire Reagan revolution about restoring pride in America?
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In large part "pride" is linked to how others regard you.
Based on my experience, it was during the Regan Administration that people in our allied countries (UK, France, etc...) began to question our national policies and grumble about them. Bush the senior ushered in the era of open dissent, Clinton ratcheted the rhetoric down a few notches and turned the focus to simply laughing at the President (what is is, etc...) while Bush the junior put us over the top in terms of both hatred of America and making a laughingstock of the office of the President abroad.