Posted on 12/07/2014 5:44:59 AM PST by Kaslin
Occasionally an analysis so turns your head that you have to do your own investigation to determine whether that analysis makes any sense. When it comes from the New York Times (the daily bible of the Left), one needs to take an extra hard look. Before the mid-term election two Times reporters asserted that blue-state voters are moving to red states and making them purple.
Robert Gebeloff and David Leonhardt of the Times took a look at the people flooding out of blue states and moving to red states. They assert that this population flow has been going on for a few decades. They also write that it has played an important role in electing a Democrat as president in four of the last six elections. They believe this movement has changed the voting in states like Colorado, Florida and Virginia. They also contend it gave Democrats better chances in the past election in states like North Carolina and Georgia. They cite that the red states now have 11.5 million transplants which are 12% of the red state population.
To be accurate the authors did make this statement, “Of course, not all blue-state migrants are liberal. And people’s political views can change over time.” To be fair some of the conclusions in the column are accurate, but for the most part I found the column to be wishful thinking of the kind that often happens with left-wing members of the press. Also, to be accurate none of their conclusions or my conclusions are drawn from scientific surveys of the transplants.
First, you cannot draw any denouement from transplants from the Northeast or Midwest to Florida. That has been happening for at least 50 years as people of retirement age move to Florida for the warmer environment. That does not define all of the transplants, but it does define a large portion and they tend to vote Republican these days. Second, the people moving to the Washington suburbs of Virginia are significantly different than other people relocating. The suburbs of Virginia have been built for and on the massive increase in the federal government. The people living there are either government employees or people drinking from the government trough. The fact that this area has recently offset the more conservative areas of the remainder of the state is no surprise. These people, generally speaking, are of two mind-sets -- 1) I am voting for the hand that feeds me and 2) I am part of the new ruling class in America who knows better how you should live your life and what you need.
My first thought focuses on the big picture which the authors never addressed – why the people are moving in the first place. These people are moving from high-tax states with significant regulations. These states are not producing jobs at the same level as red states because of the burdens placed on them by government. The blue states often have long-term obligations for unionized employees that have gargantuan underfunded liabilities for health care and pensions – promises made by negligent political leaders.
The question then is why for heaven’s sake would they move to a state which does not have these same burdens and vote for similar political leaders who will enact policies that would destroy their new home states? Certainly, these transplants may retain certain lassiez-faire attitudes toward social issues, but they can barely be expected to do such on fiscal issues. They want to get away from expensive government that is invasive in their lives and their bank accounts. When they get a job in a state like Florida and see no state taxes taken out of their paycheck, almost to a person I can guarantee you a broad smile crosses their faces.
The authors did state that people change their attitudes over a period of time. But that does not go far enough. These people are relocating to new environments. They are interacting with a completely new group of people that have certain customs. It is hard to believe that they go to these blue states and change the nature of the states. For the most part the people and the culture change them. Having experienced that myself (I lived in Reno, Nevada, for 39 months in my late twenties), I can tell you my Los Angeles friends often asked why I was talking so slowly. The cultural environment changes you and your attitudes toward life.
In this recent election certainly their hypothesis did not match the results. Georgia -- which has had a high rate of blue-state movement -- went for the Republicans. Florida returned their Republican governor to office over their former Republican governor turned Democrat. North Carolina elected a Republican over an incumbent U.S. Senator. Colorado did the same. And Nevada, which has been inundated with Californians, went totally Republican.
Moreover, what you are seeing is that the Blue States are beginning to see they have to either compete or die. Every Midwest state has a Republican Governor – even the formerly liberal ones. Many have Republican legislatures. People are seeing that other states are operating without massive high-tax regulatory governments and saying we want that too.
Now all we have to do is save the Left Coast from itself.
Interesting.
It sure as hell worked her in SC, that’s how we ended up with Graham...twice.
That’s exactly what has happened here in New Hampshire. The flood of liberal from Massachusetts and Connecticut have turned this once Red state a deep shade of Blue.
Flooding out of blue countries, too.
That’s the basis of the redistribution shell game - they get one to think someone else is paying for one’s own do-goodism.
The next wave moves to red states because of the draconian gun laws in their home states. Maybe not a huge number, but some, and that can make a difference.
Likewise, people living in Red States, like my kids are doing all they can to stay out of blue states, for the same reason - they’ll have to hand in their guns at the borders. So when good-looking jobs do pop up in those states, and it does happen, once in a while, they politely say “no, sorry”.
I think the author is a little too optimistic. It is sad, but true, that a lot of people move into (NC for instance) from blue states without realizing that it is their elected politicians in the blue states that have made the jobs dry up there.
They vote blue in ignorance, even while having to transplant to a red state for survival.
That’s the liberal disease.. destroy one area with their twisted logic and make it uninhabitable and then move to another.
Replace the zombies with scu*bag leftists and you have a movie plot with monsters just as ravenous as the flesh eating zombies.
IMHO
Invading Blue state leeches will wreck everything good about the red states.
Low tax, low regulation in red states means there is lots of room for the blue folks to add “just a little bit” here.
A tax increase her “for the children”, a fee increase there “for the environment” and wait until you get the ultimate swindle: the municipal bond.
Let’s build this shiny new school now for my kids now, float a 30 year bond, paid by future taxes on everyone.
I get the new school for my kids, and in 15 years when it’s falling apart, you all still have to pat for it.
I pay nothing, get the biggest benefit and you are left holding the nag.
Do that hundreds of times, for everything under the sun, and don’t forget to add in all the new public-sector employee leeches that have to be feed, and you get a blue state economy.
Make the state constitution changes necessary to control this insanity will you still can.
I left Jersey for Texas because of overburdening taxes, too much regulation on my wife’s business and for a bigger paycheck. Also didn’t hurt that I got the same 3k square foot home for 1/3 the price, 1/3 the taxes and they even threw in a discount for being a veteran.
Also feels good that on opening day, I am not dealing with wall to wall hunters shooting at the same 4 point buck as well as the loon chaining herself to said buck.
Yes, but sounds like you were a “red stater” at heart BEFORE you got to Texas, and didn’t bring the low information mindset with you.
Sadly too many move - run into just what you ran into - and yet cannot connect the dots from liberal NJ to conservative Texas, etc
They exhibit many of the characteristics of parasites.
Sounds and reads like the ALIENS in the movie “Independence Day”.
They are moving from one planet (STATE) to another and when they have consumed the reasons they came for they pack up and move on to the next.
“We are being exterminated.”
One thing that can change this is not letting the leftists run for local office for at least 10 years. Problem is they get here and immediately run for the school board.
Once they get the majority there, it’s like Ebola. They overwhelm the host, destroy it, blame someone else, then move to th next host.
I was a liberal until January 25, 1980. That was the day I heard thipose immortal words... “Welcome to Lackland AFB. Now get your lilly white a$$ off the bus and get in line.”
Locust are known to migrate to areas with vegetation when they’ve consumed or ruined most of it in their own habitats.
Hmmmm. You may be on to something here. States can set requirements for office. I think it would be constitutional.
HAH, your Damascus Road experience.....
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