Thursday, November 10, 2016

Could There Be a "Calexit" From the USA?


Con man and demagogue Donald Trump liked to refer to the UK's Brexit vote during the campaign as a blue print for what he was attempting.  Now, besides anti-Trump protests in a number of major cities, including one outside of Trump Tower in New York City, California is seeing a movement for a "Calexit."    That's right, the movement seeks to have California leave the United States and become its own independent nation comprising the world's 7th largest economy.  Yahoo Finance looks at this development.  Here are excerpts: 
"Calexit" is swiftly taking over social media.
After Donald Trump won the race to the White House, people across California took to social media Tuesday night to call for "Calexit" — California exit — recalling Brexit, Britain's push to leave the European Union.
As the topic continues to trend on Twitter, Californians in favor of seceding from the US will gather today on the steps of the capitol in Sacramento.
The group leading the charge, Yes California Independence Campaign, assembled long before Trump's surprising victory. Its aim is to hold a referendum in 2019 that, if passed, would make California an independent country.
The movement has racked up an impressive backer already. Shervin Pishevar, an early investor in Uber and well-known angel investor, said on Twitter that he would bankroll a campaign to make California its own nation if Trump won.
In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, he confirmed his mission.  "It's the most patriotic thing I can do," he told CNBC. "The country is at serious crossroads. ... Calling it New California."
He expressed a desire that California, the sixth-largest economy in the world in terms of GDP, might become a catalyst for a "national dialogue" as the country reaches a "tipping point."
More Silicon Valley innovators are hopping on the bandwagon. Dave Morin, an investor and founder of the private social networking tool Path, and Marc Hemeon, a former Google employee and founder of Design Inc., also showed their support on Twitter, CNN Money reports.

"What's going on in the US politically and culturally is so different from what's happening here," Marinelli told The Los Angeles Times in 2015. "I want California to be all it can, and our group feels the political and cultural connection to the US is holding us back from our potential."

The fringe political movement gathered steam in June, when the UK broke from the EU.

"This is the first Western secessionist movement that worked, and I think that is going to be very profound," Marinelli told Newsweek shortly after Brexit. "Are you going to say to people in the freest country in the world [you] don't have the right to self-determination?"
The husband's comment?  If this looks like it might really happen, we are moving to California.  I suspect at least some of my children would join us.

From a far different perspective, Vladimir Putin is no doubt celebrating.  He played Trump - and his supporters - like the village idiots and now America is already seeing protests and the largest state has a movement seeking to break fro America completely.  

6 comments:

VaB251 said...

A much better thing would be for California to break into multiple states. This would result in more Senate positions which would likely be filled by Democrats.

Stephen said...

I think 2018, not 2019. I will vote for it, though I don't think it could be binding. It would be interesting to watch the beneficiaries of inflows from our taxes lost interest in "states rights" the way Justice Saclia lost interest in "original intent" to put W in the White House, and evangelical Christians abandoned their standards to support Trump!

Stephen said...

I looked at the website, which indeed says 2019, though the next general election is in 2018 and signtaure-gathering has to be done in 90 days, 181 days before the election, so initiatives can quality for the 2018 ballot.

Rob L said...

No different than the same kind of movement by Texans, but for totally different reasons. Neither will happen.

Stephen said...

I think that Calexit will qualify for the ballot. I'd be happy if Texas left, even though it, like California, pays more federal taxes than it receives in federal spending. If Calexist qualified and won, would anything happen? It is not certain that the Brexit vote will lead to Brexit, and there is a bloody war as a precedent for not allowing states to leave the American union.

Michael-in-Norfolk said...

Even if it did not come to pass, perhaps approval by California voters would bring Congressional Republicans to their senses and cause them to rein in Trump and moderate their more extreme proposals.