I suppose the title question’s answer depends on your definition of patriotism. Putin, for example, uses “patriotism” to justify his pursuit to create a new USSR, and the Good Ole Piranhas (GOP) aka the Fascist Party of America (FPA), with wannabe Putin-like dictator Donald Jackass Trump as their leader, approve of Putin’s definition, of course. Note that these MAGA maniacs aren’t true conservatives—the few left are often the true patriots, not bloviating idiots like Putin or Trump.
Today’s faux GOP ignores the traditional American definition of patriotism in many ways. In particular, Republican office holders who take an oath to respect and serve the US Constitution, that sacred document of American democracy, along with that “f&^%ing moron,” their wannabe fuehrer Trump, ignore it or disrespect and violate it almost every chance they get. In that sense, they’re all traitors to the US, not patriots!
I always had a hard time liking the Cheney family. George Bush went from hanging chads (another GOP dolt elected to the US presidency without winning the popular vote!) to fake WMDs all because his old Veep Dick Cheney and fascist SecDef Rumsfeld convinced Dubya that Saddam Hussein shouldn’t be allowed to continue his dissing of the Bush family. (The Iraq War where many died occurred because of that foolish excuse. In other words, Papa Cheney was indirectly responsible for the deaths of many Gis and has never atoned for those sins.)
Daughter Liz might be made of sturdier stuff. She excelled on that January 6 congressional committee! Unlike her friend, Adam Kinzinger, she never served in the military, but those two are among the last Good Ole Piranhas who can claim to be patriots in the sense that they respected their constitutional oaths of office. That’s the theme of Liz’s book, Oath and Honor. It doesn’t matter whether she wrote all of it or had a lot of help from a ghostwriter (common enough among celebs). She seems to have more common sense, honor, yes, and patriotism, than her father and his contemporaries, including ex-president Bush. I don’t agree with details of either Liz or Adam’s politics in general, but they’re true conservatives and not subservient fascist followers of Narcissus le Grand. What’s more, even stalwart far-right politicians and their progeny, including McCain’s son and yes, Dick Cheney, have now announced support for Kamala Harris! That’s bravery as well as patriotism, considering the volatile fascists now in control of the GOP (that “f^%$ing moron” being the worst of them all).
Yes, there are a few MAGA-ostracized Republicans who see the clear and future danger in another Trump term. They’re patriots who want to preserve American democracy, not emulate the Russian Federation by making Trump president-for-life. But the sorry fact is that today’s GOP, and this includes the millions of MAGA maniacs, now has leaders who don’t take their oath of office seriously and have zero honor. Trump even wants to get rid of the US Constitution!
Because of this fascist remake of the GOP into the FPA, 2024 could be the year American democracy dies. It already has one foot in the grave because their wannabe fuehrer got the nomination with hardly a struggle. And if he wins another term in the White House, he will probably become president-for-life like Putin and Xi. If you naively believe he’ll relinquish power in 2028, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I want to sell you!
Trump the Chump probably has learned a lesson from his first term (you never know, because he’s a dumb ass!): If you want to become a fascist dictator, you have to go all the way. And he still has a lot of fascists to help him! The percentage has increased because he’s weeded out anyone that doesn’t kiss his butt! You only have to do a head count: Liz, Adam, Dick, McCain’s son, and a few other brave souls = maybe a few hundred patriots? All the rest of the marching morons in the FPA = millions of fascists. Anyone who supports the latter movement deserves what they get. And one thing they’re not? They’re not patriots!