Pride, Embarrassment & the Problem With Partisan Politics

Last episode I talked about being proud to be an American during the Olympics. But if I’m honest, sometimes “embarrassed” feels more accurate.Today I’m unpacking that tension — why everything in our politics gets filtered through a partisan lens, why simple answers are often wrong, and how we’ve handed too much power to cults of personality instead of principles.From the outrage over Olympic athletes speaking out, to corporate money flooding political campaigns, to gerrymandering and election reform — I’m trying to wrestle with what it means to love your country while still being deeply frustrated by it.Is it possible to be patriotic and critical at the same time? I think it has to be.Just a regular guy in a truck, trying to make sense of polarization, money in politics, and why embarrassment doesn’t mean you don’t care.