The political gaffe of the week comes to us from a political summit in Mexico. Democrat Congresswoman Delia Ramirez stirred controversy by proclaiming her Guatemalan roots take precedence over her American identity. For someone supposedly representing the United States, she sure seems to have skipped a few too many lessons on national loyalty. It seems that pledging allegiance to the American flag got lost in translation during her speech—quite literally, as it was delivered in Spanish.

One can only imagine the kind of bemusement this must have elicited in Washington. After all, when even members of Antifa are managing to feign a modicum of patriotism, you know there’s a problem. The White House confidently branded her remarks as “despicable,” which seems fairly fitting. Ramirez might want to consider calling up Google Translate before making speeches in foreign lands, especially if the end result is declaring herself more proud of her Guatemalan heritage than that of the country she serves and earns her paycheck from.

But if politicking were a game of bingo, Ramirez just hit the jackpot by pulling out a card filled with tone-deaf antics and bizarre loyalties. If this isn’t the right time to bring back those solemn oaths on the Bible, when is? It’s enough to make one question if there was some mix-up at her swearing-in ceremony, or if perhaps she was just all too willing to pull the wool over the electorate’s eyes. And, before she knew it, the internet was abuzz with calls for accountability, some even demanding deportation—an ironic twist, given her husband’s rumored undocumented status.

Adding fuel to the fire, she attempted to scramble up a toothless retreat, claiming her words were misinterpreted. Isn’t it just delightful when politicians make outrageous comments and then backtrack with Olympic-level verbal gymnastics? Critics weren’t buying it, and frankly, who can blame them? Claiming you’re Irish-American or Italian-American isn’t the same as tossing the American half of the identity out the window in favor of another country entirely—a narrative that even the lefties among us can’t sweep under the rug.

This incident shines a glaring spotlight on a broader issue within the Democratic Party: the perplexing tendency to shy away from bold displays of patriotism. It seems like somewhere along the path, the memo about cascading flags and national pride got diverted. And yet, for Congresswoman Ramirez and the baffling trajectory of this debacle, she might just have provided her future political opponents with the perfect campaign fodder. There’s a lesson to be learned here in the often unappreciated simplicity of keeping national loyalties straightforward: be proud of your roots, but remember where your responsibilities and allegiances lie. Let’s hope that the voters remember this when it counts—at the ballot box.