The Democratic Party is facing a significant image challenge that requires immediate attention, according to Rep. Tom Suozzi. In a recent op-ed, Suozzi underscored the urgent need to address the widespread notion that Democrats lack patriotism.
In a compelling article for The Wall Street Journal, Suozzi (D-NY) expressed, “I love America. Dishearteningly, as we commemorate our country’s 250th anniversary, far too many Americans connect those words solely with Republicans.”
“Democrats must work to alter this perception,” he asserted.
Suozzi also highlighted a range of criticisms towards President Trump and expressed concerns about the “current direction” of the United States.
He elaborated, “Under President Trump, we have not adequately addressed income inequality. There have been instances where masked agents have clashed with U.S. citizens. Moreover, our electoral process and voting rights are under siege, while misinformation spreads unchecked amid rising bigotry, extremism, and political violence,” he stated.
The congressman, however, urged those frustrated with the country’s direction not to let their concerns dampen their patriotism.
“Despite all this, we should remain fiercely proud of the American system,” Suozzi continued. “It has enabled the quest for ‘a more perfect union’, making possible the abolition of slavery, the rights of women and black Americans to vote, the protection of civil rights, the confrontation of religious, ethnic and racial bigotry and so much more.”
He said patriotism doesn’t ask Americans “to whitewash the country’s shortcomings,” but to confront them while recognizing the ability “to correct our mistakes” in the US democratic system to make America better.
“Democrats have long believed that America is great not because it is perfect, but because it has the capacity to become better. We must reclaim the language of patriotism, because our history teaches us that the most American thing any of us can do is help our great nation live up to the ideals charted by our Founders 250 years ago: liberty, equality, democracy and the rule of law.,” Suozzi wrote.
“Patriotism,” the congressman added, “means recognizing that America has been a force for good.”
Suozzi cited the American Revolution and how it “fueled struggles for independence, democracy and self-determination from Europe to Latin America.”
“Two and a half centuries later, America is still a beacon,” he said.
“Patriotism doesn’t demand blind loyalty,” Suozzi argued. “It demands faith that our country is worth improving and confidence that our ideals are worth defending.”
Some recent surveys show that Democrats are less patriotic than Republicans.
Just 18% of self-described Democrats said they felt “proud” to be an American compared to 68% of Republicans, according to an Elon University poll released last month.
A separate recent Reuters/Ipsos survey found 64% of Republicans said they would display an American flag or flag bunting outside their home this July 4, compared with just 27% of Democrats.
Meanwhile, Dariliaza Avila Chevaier, the socialist who won the Democratic primary in House District 13 covering northern Manhattan and The Bronx, once boasted on social media, “I forgot to get napkins so I just wiped my hand on the American flag behind me.”
Suozzi, a former Nassau County executive and gubernatorial candidate who represents the swing 3rd district covering parts of Long Island and Queens, faces a tough re-election battle from Republican Michael Lipetri, a former state assemblyman.
It’s a rematch. Suozzi defeated Lipetri by only 3 percentage points in 2024, when President Trump carried the district over Democrat Kamala Harris, the former vice president.
Lipetri told The Post that Suozzi is trying to desperately distance himself from “American-hating communists” in his own party, and his own voting record, by talking about patriotism.
“Talk is cheap. This is just another example of Tom Suozzi saying whatever it takes to save himself,” Lipetri said.
“Whether it’s voter ID, mass amnesty and open borders, keeping boys in girls’ sports, or tax increases, he flips and votes exactly with the America-hating communists in his own party.”
Suozzi quit Congress in 2022 to run governor, losing to Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary.
But he won the seat back in a special election in Feburary 2024 after convicted fraudster, Republlican Rep. George Santos, was expelled from Congress. He won re-election that fall against Lipetri in a squeaker.
“We should reject both the politics of resentment on the right and ideological purity on the left,” Suozzi’s op-ed continued. “Americans are looking for practical solutions, not endless culture wars or litmus tests.”
According to the congressman, “the choice Democrats face is clear.”
“We can allow patriotism to become a partisan label, or we can reclaim a tradition that rightly belongs to every American.”