Our crisis of collective self-doubt has reached unprecedented levels.

The number of Democrats who declared themselves “extremely” or “very” proud to be American was a whopping 88% in 2004, even as the Iraq War was becoming more divisive.

It was 85% as recently as 2013. By 2022, the number had dropped to just 65%.

Remarkably, that figure fell to just 36% this year, the sort of rapid drop that might otherwise make a pollster doubt her results.

But the numbers are real, and they point to something darker.

That a growing number of Americans are losing faith in both America as a reality and as an idea presents an unusually thorny problem for American power. It is difficult to wield power confidently if there is little confidence to begin with.

If you’re not proud to be American, then yo

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