Positive Reinforcement & The American Left

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Positive reinforcement used to be the new best way to get things accomplished. The concept was, that you can establish a better outlook among people by rewarding them for what they do right instead of punishing them for not doing enough. It still holds today, but it's not as universal as it used to be. Now it seems like some are worthy of positive reinforcement, but others aren't. In other words, some are worthy of praise, but others are only worthy of scorn. Apparently the United States of America falls in the second category. The American left will defend their scornful words by saying things like, "a real patriot is willing to point out the failures of the US as well as the successes", "a true American is willing to accept the fact that the US has done some awful things, as well as some really great things" or "we can't be proud of the good things while ignoring the bad thing." But wait a minute, isn't that what the whole concept of "positive reinforcement" is about? Doesn't that fly in the face of "finding the good instead of concentrating on the bad?" I'm still waiting for the far left to show the balance implied in "taking the good with the bad". I listen to the liberals running for president... I'm waiting for them to talk about how great it is to be an American. I'm waiting for any lefty leader to tell me how they love the United States without adding some qualifier or exception. So, why is it that the left talks about "positive reinforcement" but doesn't seem to apply it to the country that offers the greatest opportunity for individual achievement in the world?