CalExit Still a Possibility

The idea of California seceding from the union appeared to be dead. The group spearheading the effort abandoned its project earlier this year, and it looked like we’d continue to be subjected to the radical liberalism of California for the foreseeable future.

Now, it looks like the game is back on.

A group that wants California to secede from the United States can start collecting signatures for its ballot initiative.

The state attorney general issued an official ballot measure title and summary Tuesday. The campaign can now start gathering the more than 585,000 signatures it will need to qualify for the 2018 ballot.

The plan is to create a commission that would look for paths to independence and try to remove a part of the state constitution that declares California an inseparable part of the U.S. In addition, the initiative calls on the governor and congressional delegation to begin working with the federal government to create more autonomy for the state.

How likely is this? Not very.

While we tend to think of California as a very liberal state, and for good reason, it’s worth remembering that much of the state is made up of red counties. The overall politics are swayed by heavily populated urban centers like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego (among others). It’s unlikely these red counties will be remotely interested in leaving the union.

Additionally, many who lean left politically aren’t likely to be interested either.  Rather than form a new nation, they want to reform what they see as shortcomings in this one. After all, the United States is a giant power with the means to affect change globally. It’s not some upstart nation with little power.

So if you’re hoping to see the Land of Hollywood Elites break off into a new country you can point at and laugh at, I’d advise you to not hold your breath. I think the likelihood of this happening is only slightly more probable than CNN announcing a newfound love for Donald Trump just moments before new White House advisor Shia LaBeouf talks about his support for the president.

Which is probably for the best. After all, we might find out we don’t need our betters in Hollywood to tell us how to live, and we just can’t have that, now can we?

OK, sorry, I couldn’t write that last bit with a straight face.