Grammatically, "Patriot" is Not a Pronoun

Misbar looked into Boebert's use of "patriot" as a pronoun and found that her co-opting of the term "patriot" does, in fact, break the rules of English grammar. A patriot in any context is a noun, not a pronoun. Pronouns may be used in place of a noun or noun phrase after a person, place, or thing is already named, but can't be nouns.  

Nouns, according to Merrian-Websters, "make up the largest class of words in most languages, including English" and are words that refer to any class of people, places, or things. To specifically name any one of the aforementioned without a limiting modifier, would make that noun a proper noun or proper name, like name Lauren Boebert. 

For example: Lauren Boebert went to the store. Patriot bought some charcoal for patriot's Memorial Day bbq. 

In the above, the use of "patriot" as a pronoun is confusing because readers might mistake "Patriot" for a proper noun that refers to a person or maybe a family pet. 

Her usage even bends the rules governing poetic licensing, which states that poets and writers, or any artist, may deviate "from rule, conventional form, logic, or fact, in order to produce a desired effect." Although we cannot be entirely certain, it seems unlikely that Boebert was speaking as a creative writer or another kind of artist. 

Aside from social media users giving grammar lessons, others used the opportunity to attack Boebert's lack of formal education and not completing traditional high school or getting a college degree. Some, however, maintained that criticisms of Boebert are valid but said singling her out because she didn't finish high school is pure ad hominem. 

In fact, more than a dozen members of the 117th Congress did not complete traditional high school or earn a four-year degree, including: Madison Cawthorn, Matt Rosendale, Yvette Herrell, and Cori Bush, among others. Some, like Cawthorn, attended college but didn't finish. Others, like Herrell and Bush, hold certifications beyond a high school diploma – Herrell has a legal secretary diploma, as well as a career in real estate, and Bush earned a graduate diploma in nursing.

Defending her nontraditional course through high school, Boebert said that she "was a great student" and  "had great grades" but that being a new mom changed her priorities back then. “I was a brand-new mom, and I had to make hard decisions on successfully raising my child, or getting to high school biology class. And I chose to take care of my child,” Boebert said. 

Boebert did, however, receive her GED shortly before running for Congress in 2020.

Even though her use of the word "patriot" was grammatically incorrect and defies poetic licensing, it was not an unforced error. 

The Colorado congress women, along with several of her Republican colleagues, are not coy about their opposition to the LGBTQ rights and vocally opposed the Equality Act. Boebert actually claimed the act is about a "supremacy—of gays, lesbians, and – uh..." She paused before smiling and mispronouncing "transgender."

Furthermore, the Congress woman has also been accused of unpatriotic duty in giving potential rioters tours of the Capitol only days before January 6. She has also voted against certifying the election for Joe Biden and continues to hold that the 2020 election was fraudulent. 

After exhausting various denotative and connotative uses of the word "patriot," including its possible poetic usages, Misbar has determined that Boebert used the word incorrectly as both a pronoun and a self-descriptor. It is most likely that Boebert used the word, whether wittingly or unwittingly, to stir up coverage and attention, which did happen. 

The rest is just commotion.