On patriotism

It’s probably just as well that Pew Research waited until today to drop this can of debatable worms; few people are paying attention to the news on the day before a long holiday weekend.

But here’s the apparent takeaway from Pew’s latest poll: The more patriotic you are, the more likely you are to be critical of the government.

Those who give Barack Obama the lowest job ratings – predominately Republicans and independents who lean Republican – also are more likely to say that they are extremely proud to be an American than are those who give the president more positive ratings.

Cue the debate on what it means to be “patriotic.”