Jon Stewarts faux outrage shows how Democrats lost the plot on patriotism

Jon Stewart has been too rich, too privileged and too coddled with undue praise to have much of a grip on the world outside of his bubble.It’s an unfortunate affliction for the host of a news-adjacent program called “The Daily Show.”Stewart’s shtick has been the same for years: Present yourself as a down-the-middle everyman disgusted by America’s political landscape — and then spend 90% of your time mocking only 50% of the culprits.Last week, a years-old Stewart monologue resurfaced on social media and racked up millions of views, including from an account that’s agitating to draft him as a 2028 presidential candidate.In it, a typically exasperated Stewart railed against Donald Trump’s supporters.“This country isn’t yours! You don’t own it!” he shouted.“You don’t own patriotism! You don’t own Christianity!“You sure as hell don’t own respect for the bravery and sacrifice of military, police and firefighters!” he continued, his enraged tone betraying no small amount of unrighteous indignation.He was this close to getting it.Stewart’s anger was unrighteous because Republicans have never claimed to “own” any of these things.It’s just that, by and large, they’re now the only ones who champion them.And while there surely remain many patriotic, faithful, America-loving Democrats to be found across the country, their party has, institutionally, left them behind.This was true when Stewart first delivered his silly lecture in 2016, and it’s even more obvious now — which is why his old clip hit such a nerve.Back in 2008, amid her husband’s rise in the polls, Michelle Obama declared, “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country.”A month and change later, the future president himself mused that the inhabitants of “small towns” in the heartland with a dearth of job opportunities “get bitter” and cling to, among other supposed crutches, “religion.”Upon taking the oath of office, Obama ...