Patriotism is one of many core American political values and a big part of the American political culture. In this video, notice how Barack Obama doesn’t place his hand over his heart during the National Anthem. The people on stage with him (Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton, his opponents at the time) placed their hands over their hearts. This was during the 2008 presidential election. Typically, during the National Anthem, one might place their hand over their heart or give a salute. He did neither. The lack of patriotism for any politician can be bad for them.
- Why might the lack of patriotism be bad for a politician?
- Did Obama receive any backlash after this happened? If so, how did he respond to it?
- Why do you think showing patriotism is important for politics?
- What are other ways of showing patriotism?
- How would you show patriotism if you were in politics?
This assignment was okay. I think it is very helpful for those of us who are going into education. I would say you can use this assignment in the future. I think it really helps us understand a little bit more about what we are studying.