Politics & Power Quote by Kenny Marchant

Patriotism here is less a feeling than a performance with stage directions. Kenny Marchant’s appeal wraps itself in the soft focus of a milestone anniversary, then immediately hardens into instruction: “please remember,” “Fly Old Glory high,” “show your respect.” The language treats national identity as something you demonstrate outwardly, on command, through a sanctioned object. That’s the point: symbols become the shortcut, the visible proof of belonging.

The phrase “symbols that are sacred” borrows religious gravity to fence off debate. Once the flag is framed as sacred, disagreement isn’t merely political; it risks sounding like heresy. That’s a powerful move in a democratic culture built on argument. It shifts the conversation from policy outcomes to personal piety, inviting people to judge one another’s loyalty by what’s on the porch, lapel, or bumper.

Context matters. The 230th anniversary dates this to 2006, deep in the post-9/11 era when public rituals of nationalism surged alongside anxieties about war, dissent, and “supporting the troops.” In that atmosphere, “values we hold dear” functions as a deliberately vague container: it lets listeners pour in freedom, faith, military strength, or cultural traditionalism without naming any contested specifics.

The intent isn’t just to encourage flag-flying. It’s to recruit citizens into a visual consensus, where reverence is legible and noncompliance is suspect. The subtext: unity is measured by visibility, and the safest way to be “with us” is to display it.