WATCH: The View host claims America ‘hasn’t met the dream of being exceptional’
Julia Johnson
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The View hosts attacked the idea of American exceptionalism on Thursday.
According to Sunny Hostin, “The actual Pledge of Allegiance doesn’t apply to a lot of our citizens. It hasn’t met the dream of being exceptional. It hasn’t met — this country — it hasn’t met the dream of being this beacon on the hill.”
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“Until we really meet the promise of what this country could truly be, then we shouldn’t be touting us out as exceptionalist,” she added.
Hostin’s comments came as the hosts discussed a skirmish between representatives on the House Judiciary Committee over whether to begin hearings with the Pledge of Allegiance.
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“The problem that I have is with this narrative [of] American exceptionalism that we’ve been taught since we were kids,” she explained. “I said the Pledge of Allegiance all through my life in school.”
She said her thinking changed “when I got into college” because “I took an African American history course.”
Whoopi Goldberg then targeted critics of the show, claiming it’s often labeled anti-America. “We’re not anti-America. The beauty of America is you can say, ‘Hey, this is what’s wrong with America and we can fix it,'” she explained.
At one point, Joy Behar quoted writer Samuel Johnson, saying, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” She then asked what Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who proposed the pledge amendment, is seeking refuge from.
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According to Goldberg, “The reason people got, you know, African American month, Native American month, Latino month is because those stories were being left out in the history of America.”
“Now what’s starting to happen is the walls are coming in and people are saying, well, that’s not the way. That’s not the way we need to be doing it. In fact, it is. So don’t let people shut down your libraries. Get out and protest and go now,” she told viewers. “Don’t let them tell you what kind of school your kids should go to. Your kids should go to a school that helps them understand their place in their country, and how not to be. That’s our job.”