Apparently, some of our fellow Americans only acknowledge themselves as such when their candidates win election.  This collection of sunshine patriots have launched their website, proclaiming themselves “Born Again Americans,” led by television producer Norman Lear:

Born Again American is committed to the rebirth and re-expression of citizenship through informed and thoughtful activism. It is an initiative of Declare Yourself, a national non-partisan, non-profit (501(c)3) organization dedicated to increasing young voter participation and civic involvement. Declare Yourself’s on-line voter registration tool has been used by almost four million people since 2004. Declare Yourself grew out of the 2003’s Declaration of Independence Road Trip that toured an original 1776 copy of the Declaration to schools, town halls, and other locations all over the country.

Our founder, TV producer and philanthropist Norman Lear, was talking with Academy Award-winning songwriter Keith Carradine one night, and the Born Again American video was, well, born. It took the efforts of Director Mark Johnson of Playing for Change, Producer Brent Miller, and 16 performers and two choruses to bring Keith’s song to life in 14 iconic locations around the USA. The singers and musicians, non-professionals all, were chosen because they are living the lyrics in these troubled times, not just performing them.

I don’t need to sign the pledge on the website, because unlike all of these sudden Americans, I didn’t stop being American.  My passion for my country and my pride in it doesn’t start and stop depending on which party controls Congress and the White House.  Frankly, anyone who needs to experience a “rebirth” of their Americanism is someone on whom we can’t rely when things get tough, anyway — so who needs them?

Plus, there’s something creepily religious about the phrase “Born Again American” that appears to emphasize Barack Obama as their secular Messiah.  There’s nothing at all American about falling into cults of personality.  Maybe if they’d taken a little more pride in their American heritage, they’d already know that.

Fittingly, the acronym for this new organization is BAA — perfect for the sheeple that join it.

Update: Yes, it does sound depressingly familiar.