I woke up on an unusually warm Wednesday — the kind you don’t often see during November in Maine — with a lot of hope. It seemed to me that, across Colby’s campus, in the United States, and abroad, on a muggy Wednesday, Nov. 4, hope sprung eternal.
For those who woke up a little more anxious, a little more unsure or haphazard or flattened, I can at least sympathize with the feeling. On a cold November morning in Connecticut, this time a Wednesday in 2016, my mom woke me up for fourth grade the same way she always did — with a slow tap on the shoulder and a rhythmic “good morning.” But that day she sighed a little bigger, stumbled over her words a little louder, and, before I said “hello” or whined about the day, I asked her the only thing I could think of:
“Did Hillary win?”
She rubbed my leg, still covered with blankets, and shook her head. Slow. All I could think of was: how?
While I can’t say I felt the same way this post-election morning, I understand the sentiment. But, after such a powerful, enthusiastic plea for change, I take comfort in the idea that we may be more united than we seem.
I’ve never thought of myself as a very patriotic person. When I recited the Pledge of Allegiance in school, I mouthed the words and placed a single forefinger on my heart, regretting my lack of daring not to sit down. I’ve never thought of waving a flag. I don’t know the words to the Star-Spangled Banner; and when someone says they are a “patriot,” I cringe a little.
It is not that I do not love my country. But, my relationship to America is rather complex. It is difficult to be patriotic when I feel so vehemently that my country is flawed. Maybe my definition of patriotism is too idealistic. Maybe, instead, I need to separate these flaws from what I do appreciate about America. But, I am conflicted. How can unprincipled actions not be a part of our national identity? How can we be patriotic when our histories seem to be profoundly tarnished? How can we be proud when our transgressions are so gruesome?
But, the more I consider this dilemma, the more I realize how much I long to be patriotic — how wonderful it would be to be proud.
That is not to say I have never been proud, or filled with some kind of intense gratitude, unable to conceal my admiration for my country. I was proud when half a million Americans marched in pink hats in January of 2017, just after Trump’s first inauguration. I was proud when Colin Kaepernick took a knee. When some twenty million people protested the murder of George Floyd. And Breonna Taylor. And Rayshard Brooks. And Manuel Ellis. And too many other names. When at 7:00 p.m. in New York City, moms and dads and grandparents and little kids gathered on their balconies and cheered for frontline COVID workers. I was proud when we elected our first female vice president. When Amanda Gorman — a Black woman — was the youngest poet to speak at a presidential inauguration. When Greta Gerwig released Barbie. When Jane Fonda said, “empathy is not woke.” And I was proud when five million people protested as part of the first No Kings movement.
But most often my pride comes from acts of defiance. Of regular people, from different origins, complexions, and genders, organizing and saying: “enough.” I’ve found pride in brief moments. Small, fleeting, rare moments where humanity emerged within gravely inhumane times.
But, last week I was proud for a different reason. For the first time in a very long time, our collective political action offered something more than simply saying: “no.” It offered real action. Real change. Real motion toward goals instead of a perpetual state of civil disobedience.
But, true progress relies on more than election wins. It requires tangible outcomes — accountability. A government that stands for more than mere defiance, more than the rejection of another party’s principles, and is founded instead on its own objectives, ideologies, and systems. Governments must serve human decency and equality irrespective of political background, monetary incentives, or powerful friends.
Kate Mezrich `29, president of Colby Democrats, highlights this craving for genuine, palpable action: “Trump will likely veto legislation Democrats try to pass,” she says. “I would like congressional Democrats to continue fighting for new legislation regardless of whether the president signs it.”
She notes that if Democrats propose bills that cover key issues to voters, it will encourage a Democrat presidency in 2028. And if Trump refuses to comply, he will only further the case for electing a more flexible leader.
Even after the blue wave, it would be rather ignorant to suggest our political divisions have disappeared. We elected for change, for a national trajectory that is more moderate in nature. While, like Mezrich, I often find myself supporting and voting for Democrats, we must toe a careful line. As citizens, we are obliged to elect based on broad consideration, rather than allow sentiments defined solely as “red” or “blue” to alter our intuitions.
The 2026 midterms emboldened a unity we must build on. To return to our rigidly molded party system, with little consideration for who is running or the impacts of our ideologies, would be a failure to progress.
I struggle to say earnestly that I am patriotic due to a single election result. Patriotism is not founded on a single political party. It shouldn’t be. Patriotism lies in verifiable action, in results, in the ways we choose to live every day. As the beginnings of a sort of patriotism take root, I am careful to distinguish between an unprecedented balance of power and newfound unity. And, I believe — or at least I hope — that the beginnings of my patriotism form from this unity, rather than who is in power.
Colby Young Republicans did not respond to requests for comment.
~ Maya Corrie `29
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