Warning: Don’t be Too American

Is it possible to be TOO American on July 4^th?  Robert Reich thinks so, and warned about it on July 2^nd, according to the Daily Caller.  Reich is Bill Clinton’s Former Secretary of Labor and a current professor at University of California Berkeley, and he says Americans should be careful this July 4^th to not exhibit “exclusive patriotism” that “asserts a unique and superior Americanism.”

In an opinion piece he wrote, Reich says “we hear a lot about patriotism, especially around the Fourth of July. But in 2016, we’re hearing about two very different types of patriotism. One is an inclusive patriotism that binds us together. The other is an exclusive patriotism that keeps others out.”

Reich goes on to talk about the dangers of exclusive patriotism, which he defines as asserting a unique and superior Americanism attitude that is determined to exclude others who are not American. He cites building a wall, supporting tax cuts, and celebrating entrepreneurship as examples of exclusive patriotism.

“Donald Trump famously wants to ban all Muslims from coming to America, and to build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out Mexicans,” he says. “Exclusive patriotism tells us to fear foreign terrorists in our midst — even though almost every terrorist attack since 9/11 has been perpetrated by American citizens or holders of green cards living here for a decade or more.”

“Inclusive patriotism instructs us to join together for the common good,” he says. “Such patriotism requires taking on a fair share of the burdens of keeping America going — including a willingness to pay taxes.”

“Exclusive patriotism,” on the other hand, “celebrates the acquisitive individual and lone entrepreneur. It tells us that taxes on the wealthy slow economic growth and deter innovation.”

Reich concludes his opinion piece by asking, “So will it be inclusive or exclusive patriotism? A celebration of ‘us’ or contempt for ‘them’?”

Donald Trump’s official stand on Muslims entering the US is this, according to his campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson: “Trump’s proposal is to bar Muslim immigrants, not all Muslims, from entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”  Trump proposed the ban five days after the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting that killed 14 people in December, and continued support of the proposal even after the more recent Orlando shootings.

Reich, who endorsed Bernie Sanders in February, has now shifted his focus to working hard for Mrs. Clinton if she gets the nomination. Earlier this year, he wrote an article for Salon calling Trump a “21^st century American fascist.” “Trump’s entire foreign policy consists of asserting American power against other nations,” he wrote.