Pledge of Allegiance FAIL

U.S. Rep. Todd Aiken (Missouri, R) defies irony on numerous levels with aplomb in this Think Progress video from yesterday’s Tea Party. After a breathy defense of the Pledge of Allegiance, which is under attack by no one, he leads the crowd in the Pledge, only to fuck it up.

It’s not like this is just a video where someone slips and falls, ha ha, look at them, they slipped in public. It’s astonishing because after the self-aggrandizing pandering of pseudo-patriotism against non-existent enemies to appeal morally superior by urging “UNDER GOD” remain in the Pledge of Allegiance—which it has been for 60 years and isn’t going anywhere—he blanks on the next word, “indivisible.”

It is laughably telling, because after all, he really is trying to be divisive in a desperate play for relevance through jingoistic bandwagon jumping, instead of leading any actual policy or successful legislation, however divisive or unifying.

And while I hate to belabor an elected official’s incompetence (cough!), why would liberals care if you say the Pledge of Allegiance? Seriously? This is generic right-wing fear-mongering, that those who disagree with certain positions are also radically anti-American, at least as far as patriotism goes, so don’t listen to anything they say, like that the seas are rising. Many on the Left know that patriotism is actually doing something about problems in America, not making problems about saying things about America.