A few years back I actually was looking forward to experiencing America’s 250th birthday. I actually remember celebrating the Bicentennial in 1976, which was an event that seemed to bring the country together. Today I am looking at July 4th, 2026 with a sense of disconnect and apathy.
I was working on Catalina in the summer of 1976 and celebrated the Bicentennial at a raucous bacchanalia at Two Harbors, mostly remembered as the place Natalie Wood drowned. It was one of those ’70s events where if you remembered too much about it, you probably weren’t there. Boats were illuminated across the harbor as fireworks lit up the dark sky.
The Bicentennial was actually a time to celebrate. While we recognized that several of the Founding Fathers were slaveholders and thus morally compromised, the country had not really done serious introspection on the role of slavery in our history. Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings was essentially unknown.
But aside from overlooking some of the disparities between the ideas and the actual deeds of the Founding Fathers, we seemed to have a lot to celebrate.
We were getting out of Vietnam. Gerald Ford was President, replacing the disgraced Richard Nixon. The traumatic era of political assassinations seemed behind us. “The Pill” was liberating women and sparking the “Sexual Revolution”. There was a budding environmental movement. While most Americans had never heard of Stonewall, the 1969 riots still inspired the mostly closeted gay and lesbian Americans. The world once again seemed to be moving in the right direction again.
Perhaps most crucial to this sense of optimism was the successful conclusion of the Watergate affair in 1974. Elected leaders in Washington set aside partisan divisions to come to the defense of law and the Constitution. As Republican Senators made it clear that their duty was to the rule of law rather than the President, Richard Nixon resigned and hurriedly decamped from the White House. We congratulated ourselves that our Constitution worked. America still stood for the ideas of the American Revolution.
I can’t honestly say that the Constitution is working in 2026.
Political dysfunction is rampant throughout the nation, from Washington, D.C. to the chambers of the West Hollywood City Council. Faith in our institutions is almost non-existent and partisans from both parties seem intent on fanning the flames of division rather than finding common ground.
Elon Musk’s wealth was estimated to equal the total worth of FIVE MILLION American families. Income inequality is not only at historic levels, but it also threatens both our economy and our democracy.
I don’t need to enumerate the numerous policies of the current Administration that undermine our democracy and the fabric of our society, but it is safe to say that the crimes of Donald Trump are far more egregious than those alleged against George III in the Declaration of Independence.
In the meantime, Democratic Socialists here in Los Angeles want to give immigrants the right to vote while Democratic activists seem just as intent as the far right to engage in their own version of the Cultural Revolution. Polling puts the Democratic Party just a few percentage points above the ratings of Donald Trump, as the party flounders with finding a coherent message other than “Resist”.
Unfortunately, our inability to find national consensus has real impacts on the economy, our national security and on the real people who make up this vast country; people who deserve better from the folks that supposedly lead them.
But I remember my grandparents survived poverty during the Great Depression and made huge sacrifices during World War II. We have been down before, and we have managed to pick ourselves up and make things right. We are a people of grit; we are not afraid to work and we are a people of everyday heroes.
While I don’t feel much like celebrating, I have not lost hope in the great resilience of the American people. We may be down this July 4th, but we are not out.
That is a reason to celebrate.
We’re not down and we’re not out. Celebrating 250! We’re lucky to call this country home!
We’re not down. What the F is this about??? Ridiculous take. Elon made his money, not fraudlently like our CA reps did! AND he made jobs and because CA is f’d up, he left. taking all of that talent with him and creating a negative for the taxes. Ponder that. Name the policies that are underming our country you claim without the facts! Crimes of President Trump, I think most if not all were thrown out. A bank fraud loan charge that his lenders said he paid everything back with interest on time, no crime there. You should get a… Read more »
Thanks, Steve. I share the ambivalence this time around. Trying to make the best of things and remain somewhat naively hopeful about the future [audible sigh].
This is lovely, Steve. Thank you.
Steve Martin, 🎯. I love this country, but not the organized crime that has taken over with the assistance of completely ignorant television star worshiping MAGAs and the illegal hijacking of presidential executive orders and Damian III aka House Enforcer Johnson the heavy lifter to our pedophile president. That the US flag, which is now looked upon worldwide as a symbol of hate and oppression, is but a daily reminder of just how far we have fallen. I try, I join, I march, I call, I donate, I door to door, I vote. I care. It used to be enough.… Read more »
The population for America’s 250th is VERY different than the population in ’76 for America’s 200th. Today a record number of the people who live here were not born in America or are first generation Americans. They have brought their culture from their home country with them and have no intention of assimilating to American culture. Almost for sure Thomas Jefferson was not the father of Sally Hemmings’ children. Thomas’s brother and nephews lived on Monticello property and they were a wild bunch! DNA traces back to “a Jefferson” but not directly to Thomas. He had only daughters and apparently… Read more »
OMGosh, you really believe that crap. You really think being white is being innocent of the our atrocities and blame everyone but the White Anglo Saxon Protestant Man. You really blame multiculturalism for your problems. OMG. And regarding TJ, go ahead and live in the MAGA/KKK world of ignorance and folly.
^^^^^^Proof that they walk among us. A sad case of denial. A jury of DJT’s peers (approved by his attorney) convicted him of 34 felony counts, then the Supreme Court denied his conviction appeal on sexual assault. FACTS
Steve Martin speaks for generations that were raised to value fortitude, personal responsibility, and resilience over defining through victimhood or searching for oppression in every disagreement. What I appreciate most is that he doesn’t leave readers in despair. He acknowledges the country’s problems, lands some well-deserved punches where they belong, and still arrives at optimism rooted in the resilience of the American people. That’s a far more constructive message than cynicism or perpetual grievance. Bravo!