Ed Brayton is a freelance writer and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
I'm sure you've heard the shocking news by now: Barack Obama has stopped wearing an American flag pin on his lapel. Not only that, he actually gave a thoughtful reason why he no longer wears one. He was asked this question by a reporter:
"You don't have the American flag pin on. Is that a fashion statement?" the reporter asked, at the end of a brief interview with Obama on Wednesday. "Those have been on politicians since Sept. 12, 2001."
And here was his answer:
The standard political reply to that question might well have been, "My patriotism speaks for itself."But Obama didn't say that.
Instead the Illinois senator answered the question at length, explaining that he no longer wears such a pin, at least in part, because of the Iraq War.
"You know, the truth is that right after 9/11, I had a pin," Obama said. "Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq War, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security, I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest.
"Instead," he said, "I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism."
This provoked a predictable reaction from the pedestrian right wing:
But talk radio and cable news quickly pounced on the issue."It just shows you he's not ready for the big time," conservative Laura Ingrams opined on Fox News.
Said Sean Hannity: "Why do we wear pins? Because our country is under attack!"
Obama is making an age old mistake. HL Mencken once wrote that no one had ever gone broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people, nor had anyone ever lost public office thereby; the obvious corollary to that rule is that those who overestimate the intelligence of the American people can and do lose public office. And that is precisely what Obama is doing here.
What Obama clearly does not understand is that most Americans really do prefer style over substance and symbolism over action. They really do think that paying $1.99 for a yellow ribbon to put on their car or getting weepy eyed listening to Lee Greenwood makes them patriotic, even while they support leaders who piss on the Constitution in their pursuit of power.
Like everything else in this country, patriotism is not an idea it's a commodity. Like all commodities, it is easily translated into a marketing slogan, and all marketing slogans are designed for the same purpose: to push some button in your brain that makes you associate the product with a positive emotional experience or with the negation of some insecurity.
Insecure about women? Not if you use the new TAG body spray. Not feeling manly enough because you have a dead end job that could go away at any time, making you wish you were someone who had real authority and control over their own destiny? Then associate yourself with a powerful company like Nike, who tells you to "Just Do It." Better yet, associate yourself with big guns and phallic missiles to fill that macho void within you and Be All You Can Be.
You want to be patriotic? You want to show that you actually care about the country and the principles it alleges to stand for? Then hold your leaders responsible for their actions. Stand up for principles over symbols. You want to show that you support the troops? Then throw away that fucking yellow ribbon and that stupid flag pin and do something.
How about lending a hand to the families of reservists who are left behind under very stressful conditions and often without the means to support themselves? How about spending some time helping out disabled veterans who return with emotional scars much deeper than the physical ones you can see?
Better yet, instead of getting pissed off at people who don't wear flag pins that were probably made in China, how about getting pissed off at those who make ostentatious shows of patriotism and then do things like this: writing orders for national guardsmen to be in Iraq for 729 days because at 730 days, they'd be eligible for the GI Bill.
This satirical song from the Asylum Street Spankers says everything that needs to be said about shallow yellow ribbon patriotism:
Comments
Yeah, and Edwards isn't wearing one, and I don't think Clinton's wearing one.
They'll all lose.
Posted by: Lettuce | October 8, 2007 9:16 AM
And why does Sean Hannity not wear one?
Posted by: coturnix | October 8, 2007 9:19 AM
Yeah, pretty good point.
Sean Hannity's not wearing one, I'm sure Ann Coulter's not and I'd be surprised is if Laura Ingrams has one.
Posted by: Lettuce | October 8, 2007 9:25 AM
This issue is incredibly stupid. However, some of the commenters are missing the warped point of the issue. Obama had chosen to wear the lapel pin and then chose to stop wearing the pin. The issue is about Obama's decision to stop wearing the lapel pin. The people pointed out by the commenters had never made a decision to routinely wear a lapel pin in the first place.
Posted by: Mike | October 8, 2007 9:30 AM
Yeah, he stopped wearing it YEARS ago.
As long as you wear a flag and capitalize Nation and Patriotism, then you're Good(tm). Right? Because the symbol replaces the act.
As Sinclair Lewis said: When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross.
Posted by: The RIdger | October 8, 2007 10:09 AM
Frankly, I prefer the classics. Here's John Prine's "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore".
Posted by: BG | October 8, 2007 10:21 AM
It's ridiculous that he is being judged based on his preference to wear, or not wear, a pin. Are the lawmakers in high school? The choice to wear a pin does not make a person patriotic - what an asinine notion. If several senators all put those stupid ribbon magnets on their cars, would the others be unpatriotic if they didn't? It's sad that this has even occured and it's even sadder that Obama felt he had to come up with a convoluted reason he's not wearing one. Could, "I don't like wearing pins," not have sufficed as a reason? I believe the Hillary clan has come up with this as a lame way to discredit Obama. And I fear most of the United States is lame enough to buy into it.
Posted by: Gail Wasmer | October 8, 2007 12:39 PM
Dang! BG beat me to the John Prine reference. I've had that song running through my head off and on for years now...
Posted by: GFelis | October 8, 2007 1:32 PM
Obama had chosen to wear the lapel pin and then chose to stop wearing the pin. The issue is about Obama's decision to stop wearing the lapel pin.
Well... then.
So what I'm hearing then is that if the Democrats want to find someone REALLY electable, they need to draft the guy with the tie.
Posted by: Coin | October 8, 2007 1:45 PM
Was that supposed to be a joke? Assuming we actually are under attack (we're not of course, but you have to alter reality quite a lot to get into Hannity's frame of mind), are lapel pins supposed to magically deflect missiles and cure anthrax? Do terrorists see the pins and cower in fear, realizing that there's no way they can defeat the mighty pin-wielding middle aged rich people who have never been in combat or experienced hardship? When the attack comes and our lives are in danger, should our first instinct be to grab a blazer and put a lapel pin on it?
Agghh. It's only noon and I feel like I need a drink.
Posted by: Steve Reuland | October 8, 2007 2:05 PM
"Said Sean Hannity: "Why do we wear pins? Because our country is under attack!" "
So what Sean's saying is forget the body armor, what the troops in Iraq need is flag pins?
Posted by: Ian Gould | October 8, 2007 2:54 PM
"So what Sean's saying is forget the body armor, what the troops in Iraq need is flag pins?"
As long as they're willing to buy their own pins...support the troops!
Posted by: Adam | October 8, 2007 3:51 PM
First off, Hannity is an idiot. Completely.
Second, Ed that was a really well done post.
Just wanted to say it is so well done it should be one of those email forwards that counter the crap that gets sent to me now and again.
Posted by: GH | October 8, 2007 4:03 PM
Excuse me, can someone tell me why all the non-patriotic, anti-American, flag disrespecting WOMEN are not wearing a flag pin on their lapels? Or as a brooch or something?
I think the GUYS on Fox nuuuz need to get onto this one real quick. If Fox was able to get onto this one, they'd be able to avoid looking too deeply for answers on questions like:
"Better yet, instead of getting [ticked] off at people who don't wear flag pins that were probably made in China, how about getting [ticked] off at those who make ostentatious shows of patriotism and then do things like this: writing orders for national guardsmen to be in Iraq for 729 days because at 730 days, they'd be eligible for the GI Bill."
Posted by: PDouglas | October 8, 2007 4:04 PM
Obama's comments may be the most intelligent thing yet said in this election cycle by a presidential candidate. Of course, that's not a field with a large amount of competition. I may have to register as a Democrat just to vote for him.
Posted by: Michael Suttkus, II | October 8, 2007 5:40 PM
The comments on that news article are depressing.
"danger - this is a warning sign of what he would be like if elected - where is the patriotism for our country? The flag represents our country not just one event. He is dangerous."
Posted by: FhnuZoag | October 8, 2007 7:12 PM
http://www.unmetneeds.com/ takes care of the soldiers' families when they have financial needs, I believe this is a worthy charity.
Posted by: Kev | October 8, 2007 10:22 PM
This is kind of like that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer refuses to wear the ribbon for the AIDS walk.
"You don't want to wear the ribbon?!?"
Posted by: Jacob | October 8, 2007 10:22 PM
LOL. Great reference. It reminded me of a joke I used to do on stage about a politically correct dry cleaners. You took your suits there and it didn't really clean them, it just raised their self-esteem and put the proper colored ribbon on them.
Posted by: Ed Brayton | October 8, 2007 10:49 PM
Eat your hearts out, BG and GFelis, I heard John Prine sing it live Saturday afternoon at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco.
Posted by: Pieter B | October 8, 2007 11:22 PM
This has increased my respect for Obama (not that Ican vote for him or anything), as did my hearing that he has appointed a Chicago economist as his economic advisor.
Posted by: James | October 9, 2007 3:05 AM
FlagPin Co: Our last, best line of defense against terrorists.
Posted by: Matthew L. | October 10, 2007 2:30 AM
This makes the same point in a more poignant way. It's by Roy Zimmerman.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlUyNmUABbc
Posted by: Enkidu | October 13, 2007 11:14 PM
why is the emphasis of a pin rather that what he stands for, which is the most important thain anyways!
Ashlee J.
Posted by: Ashlee J. | November 18, 2007 12:42 PM
FhnuZoag: Seriously, what are you talking about, symbols such as our flag mean nothing when our country's constitution and fundamental values are being disregarded as they are now by the actions of our current president.
Posted by: ROD | April 10, 2008 3:25 AM