If you want to know why Barack Obama didn't hold his hand over his heart while the National Anthem was playing or why he made such a big deal out of not wearing a flag pin, it was so he could appeal to the sort of people who read the Daily Kos.

Is that a stretch? Well, read this excerpt from a post by Daily Kos diarist Tsukasa Buddha,

Am I supposed to love America? I mean, I think it is rather silly when politicians say it is the greatest country in the world.

...Now, of course I realize that politicians are merely engaging in fluffy, feel good hyperbole, but it is just a pet peeve of mine.

...But I don't understand how you are expected to love your country. It really just doesn't make any sense to me; it is like dividing by zero.

Patriotism also seems largely irrational to me.

...I am not quite sure why it would be a bad thing that a person did not love America, or was not proud of it (Of course, pride is another matter entirely, but I disagree with it in general).

And then there is the whole "sharing American values", that both sides use, which I just completely don't get.

Is that a common sentiment at the Daily Kos? Indeed, it is and there's a poll up at the Daily Kos that confirms it. There aren't a lot of responses yet, but so far 67% of the Kossacks when asked, "Do you love America (If not American, use your own country)?" say either, "I am annoyed by America, but I'll stick with it," or, "I want to plan to pack my bags and leave."

My friend, there is a reason why liberals get accused of being unpatriotic -- it's because so many of them are unpatriotic. There's also a reason why conservatives are generally considered to be more patriotic than liberals -- it's because we are.