Why are Democrats not wearing flag pins?

I've viewed all, or nearly all, of the presidential debates and town halls, both Democrat and GOP. There's a major difference between the parties regarding the candidates' use of symbols as a means of communication.

Neither Hillary nor Bernie have worn American Flag lapel pins. Of the Dems, only Martin O'Malley has sported this symbol of the U.S. Alternately, all of the many Republicans in every debate, except, strangely, Mike Huckabee, have displayed the flag.

Presuming that each candidate is "coiffed, groomed and coutured" to appeal to a certain set of sensibilities and values, it seems odd, or maybe not, that prominent Dems would forsake this conspicuous emblem of the USA in public forums. Do they fear alienation of their base(s)? Are their supporters outraged by and contemptuous of the flag? Have the Democrat Party faithful become "anti" U.S. - at least in iconography? Odd, since the man who "walks on their water," whose favor they curry and whose gospel they would carry forward (Barack Obama) often wears Old Glory on his lapel.

Withstanding hackneyed reminders about patriotism being a refuge for scoundrels and about wolves in sheep clothing, about books and their covers and even about devils wearing Prada, symbols do carry weight. Ask anyone who's ever flashed the two-fingered, v-shaped peace sign or raised any other digit to express sentiment. The question is which digit(s) are the Democrats flashing the U.S.?

Les Lopinot

Oswego