Originally published on July 10, 2026 by the San Mateo Daily Journal and written by Kevin Mullin
As America celebrates its 250th birthday this year, it is a moment to reflect on the state of our republic.
I’m barely old enough to remember the 1976 bicentennial celebration, but I do recall a swelling sense of pride. I have memories of my Uncle Marty dressed as Uncle Sam, selling a patriotic-themed children’s coloring book he created called “Americolor.” It was also a presidential election year and I watched as my then-Republican mother shed a tear for Gerald Ford’s loss, while my Democratic father cheered Jimmy Carter’s victory. Yet I sensed being American was more important to identity with than being a Democrat or Republican. Country over party.
For many Americans, displays of patriotism have become entangled with polarization. Recent Gallup polling finds patriotism slipping to an all-time low with only 53% saying they are “extremely” or “very” proud to be an American. Rising household costs, distrust in institutions and growing anxiety that the American dream is slipping out of reach have left many feeling disillusioned.
The America 250 event in Washington was an opportunity to bring people together, yet the current presidentpredictably turned it into a self-serving rally, co-opting traditional patriotic symbols like the flag and the eagle, and debasing them into partisan MAGA props. He used his address on our National Mall to push his partisan voter suppression bill. Instead of commemorating our nation’s journey, acknowledging America’s myriad failures and successes, tragedies and triumphs, our scientific innovations that lead the world, and painting an inspiring, unifying vision for our future, the president chose division.
In lieu of a having a president with the capacity to unify, it has been heartening to see the excitement behind Team USA in soccer’s World Cup — a reminder of Americans’ desire for camaraderie and the unifying nature of sport. It has also been exhilarating to see different countries and cultures welcomed by everyday Americans celebrating visiting teams, resplendent with their own patriotism on display.
While Team USA’s exciting World Cup run has ended, it highlighted the gulf that exists between a team that can unite us under a common red, white and blue banner, against the very divided red-versus-blue parties in our body politic. And this divide will only deepen due to the redistricting war sparked by the president and a politicized Supreme Court gutting the Voting Rights Act. Failed by our disunifying leadership, it is up to us as individual Americans to remember we are all part of the larger “Team USA” and a political civil war simply hurts our global standing.
When declaring independence from tyranny, our founders formed a nation under the motto, “E pluribus unum” — “Out of many, one.” Two-and-a-half centuries later, those words remain as relevant as ever. They remind us that America’s strength has never come from shared ancestry or ethnicity, but from our ability to forge a nation of nations bound together by our commitment to a set of democratic ideals. Former President Reagan once said of immigrants, “Anyone, from any corner of the world, can come to live in the United States and become an American.”
Our great experiment has endured not because it is flawless, but because generations worked to bring us closer to our founding ideals. As former President Obama said, “In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it.”
Ours is a story of abolitionists, suffragists, civil rights leaders and labor organizers correcting injustice and pushing the promise of America: That opportunity be extended to everyone.
This spirit is alive in the communities of our congressional district, which I am proud to represent. I have seen it firsthand at our No Kings rallies across the Peninsula, where Americans from every background gathered under a sea of flags because they believe our endangered democracy is worth protecting.
America has overcome much in its 250-year adolescence, and its story is still being written. However, only through direct participation can we ensure its next chapter reflects the promise of our ideals. Many of us are fighting against autocratic, xenophobic and extremist forces that seek to divide, conquer and take our freedoms away. The 2026 and 2028 elections will determine the next phase of our national journey, so remember — democracy is not a spectator sport.
Despite our daunting challenges, if America’s resilient, pro-democracy patriots can unite, we can come through this divisive era stronger, wiser and ready to create a more perfect union. I remain hopeful that with hard work, we will once again be a beacon of freedom and democracy for the world, and that our democratic Team USA is one to be proud of for generations to come.
###