As American as apple pie

As American as apple pie

by digby

Following on David’s founders quotes below, it’s appropriate to also point out that “leftism” and criticism of capitalism is as deeply woven into the fabric of American culture as chauvinism and Jesus.

With the celebration this month of the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth, festivals, academic symposia and new collections of his music are bringing renewed attention to “This Land Is Your Land,” one of the U.S.’s unofficial anthems. And it is becoming more widely recognized that some versions of the song featured lyrics not normally associated with patriotism — words reflecting Guthrie’s communist beliefs.

What may not be so well-known is that “This Land Is Your Land” belongs to an American tradition of patriotic pieces made by critics of capitalism. The authors of the Pledge of Allegiance and “America the Beautiful” also took a distinctly leftist view of the U.S. economic system.

I hate to tell you wingnuts, but we are Americans too.

.