“Democrats: Don’t retreat from the flag, march with it,” written by Alex Wagner, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, was published in The Hill. Following is an excerpt: 

As someone who never served but spent the Biden administration trying to improve the quality of service and quality of life for those who do, I came to understand that for members of the military, the flag stands for the Constitution and the oath they take to defend it — not an individual president, and certainly not a political movement.

As I traveled to military installations around the world, I saw in action the powerful symbolism of the American flag. It means something when people see it on the shoulders of U.S. troops in conflict zones and to allies who fight alongside them. It means something when it arrives with humanitarian aid. 

And it means everything to those men and women in uniform who proudly display it — not because they agree with every administration or policy, but because they believe in the enduring promise of this country. 

That’s why it pains me to see some Democrats, progressives and young Americans who oppose President Trump’s authoritarianism turn away from the flag. 

At protests opposing the militarization of our cities, some burn it in anger or let other nations’ flags stand in for our own. The impulse is understandable — especially for those who feel marginalized, betrayed or worse, targeted, by his dark vision.  

However, Democrats cannot let frustration with what he’s doing to the country drive them to disown its foundational symbols. The Trump era will end, and when it does, the party needs a positive agenda to build back from the charred, hollow husk of a democracy Trump and henchmen intend to leave us. 

That’s why Democrats can’t abandon the flag. Instead, the party has to reclaim it.

Read the full article at the link above.