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Progressives remind everyone why they’re the most miserable beings on the planet

Posted on February 28, 2026
By Dave Huber - Associate Editor
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An angry pink-haired progressive; HBRH/Shutterstock.com

OPINION: Professor says recent Olympics ‘might be a little glimpse of […] a kind of radical nativist, aggressive, more isolationist great power version of America’

Progressives truly are just plain miserable.

It’s bad enough their misery has taken its toll on popular entertainment; even when one thing breaks the PC boilerplate, the prog pundits are all over it — like The Guardian’s Jesse Hassenger on “Top Gun: Maverick” who whined Tom Cruise’s protagonist is a “white man extraordinaire” with a support cast of “many, though not all” white men.

In today’s social media age, even 1980’s “Miracle on Ice,” probably the greatest underdog story in the history of sports, can’t even escape the criticisms of our allegedly better-educated countrymen.

Speaking of which, the 2026 U.S. men’s hockey team won the Olympic gold medal for the first time since 1980’s “Miracle,” so this gave progs something else about which to be unhappy. Especially since it included — gasp! — invocations of patriotism.

Hockey team members were unapologetic about saying positive things about the U.S., and they were excited about President Trump congratulating them and inviting them to this past week’s State of the Union address.

As positivity and happiness are anathema to progressives,The Hockey News’ Ian Kennedy was cheesed the U.S. team didn’t “speak out” and “condemn” Trump’s “misogynistic” joke about also having to invite the women’s hockey team (who won their gold medal) or else he’d be impeached.

The Atlantic’s Sally Jenkins opined similarly, tweeting “To those on the men’s USA hockey team who laughed at the prospect of sharing a White House visit with women, the NHL frequently trails the WNBA in ratings.”

A guy named Avery Beaumont even wrote a Substack about how now is a “fu*king scary time”(!!!) for hockey Twitter (X):

Perpetually miserable progressive pundit Jessica Tarlov was upset because FBI Director Kash Patel celebrated in the locker room with the U.S. men’s team, including chugging a beer:

Tarlov at least equaled the unintentionally hilarious HuffPost article (that was published twice!) which included the subhead “If waving the American flag or chanting “USA!” turns you off right now, you’re not alone.”

Not to be outdone, The Nation’s Dave Zirin offered up the article “The Ugly Underbelly of the US Hockey Victory” with the subhead “The real Olympic heroes were the athletes who stood up for each other—and against Trump.“

Zirin wrote that Team USA “was ready to fight—literally—because Trump had deemed Canada, Canadian Bacon—style, the enemy, and the players were ready to follow orders.” At least he knows his audience.

The academic set didn’t want to be left out; NPR went to “award-winning” journalist and Pitzer College Professor David Goldblatt who said the 2026 winter games were unlike the Summer Olympics two years ago when the U.S. “was still widely viewed as a defender of democracy and global trade, and a counterweight to authoritarian governments.”

Now, “[t]he Olympics might be a little glimpse of what it actually means to make such a kind of radical nativist, aggressive, more isolationist great power version of America,” Goldblatt said. “It may not prove terribly popular.”

The only “patriotism” progs care about is “dissent” (which is quite American, mind you), but only towards right-leaning leaders and policies, like what “pansexual” figure skater Amber Glenn and skiier Hunter Hess offered up during various media appearances. (Glenn and Hess ended up not doing very well, unlike the men’s hockey team.)

Recall how the U.S. women’s soccer team’s Megan Rapinoe was a “hero” for kneeling for the National Anthem during the ’20-’21 Olympics and for saying she was “not going to the fu*king White House” after the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

Unfortunately, these ninny athletes fail to realize that by wearing the red, white, and blue, they represent all Americans, including conservatives and Trump supporters. Don’t like Trump? Great. Don’t like what ICE is doing? Fine. But we don’t want to hear about it.

I don’t remember any athletes (or media) asking about/criticizing Joe Biden at the 2022 and 2024 games: No questions about his draconian COVID “vaccine” mandates. No opinions about letting millions of unvetted “refugees” across the border. No inquiries about his collusions with Big Tech in censoring Americans. No concerns about labeling concerned parents as “domestic terrorists.”

Imagine what the progs in the media and online — if the tech existed — would ask of the 1980 hockey team:

  • “Hey Coach Brooks, do you think you’re going a bit overboard in demanding that your players proclaim they play for the USA?”
  • “Mike Eruzione — did you reply to the fan who told you to “beat those Commie bastards” that such language is highly inappropriate?”
  • “Coach Brooks, do you or any of your players think the USSR was justified in invading Afghanistan?
  • (Post-“Miracle” game): “Hey Mike, do you or your teammates think you might have gone overboard with your celebration after the game? The Russians looked rather upset.”

Yes, it’s ridiculously farcical, but that’s precisely what the HuffPost, Guardian, and even New York Times et. al. have turned themselves into.

MORE: Lessons in progressive imbecility