Well, I have a lot to say about this being one of those refugees.
I remember living in NY/NJ and listening to Cubans and Venezuelans speak with great passion about their hatred of their former governments. Granted, those particular cultures will speak with great passion with regard to just about anything. But I found Chinese and Russians and Polish speaking with the same kind of passion...just maybe at a lower volume and with fewer hand gestures. I used to listen and be so happy for them that they were here now. But I didn't think the totalitarian behavior would come here to the US. Ha!
Now I'm them. I trend toward the louder more expressive variety because that's who I am. But I can tone it down too, to make myself more receptive to gentler, kinder Southern ears.
I didn't even live through anything remotely as oppressive as Cubans or Russians have. I just got a glimpse. A taste. The experience was horrific enough to me that I want everyone within earshot to hear me and understand that the same things that happen in bluestates can happen right here if y'all remain complacent. And it frustrates me that many remain unfazed. So I do my part locally and rattle some cages because I love my country and I don't want what's happened in blue America to happen in free America.
The GOP needs to get on the ball and find good candidates and support them, even for school board or dog catcher. The Dems do that. I don't love either party much, but one-party rule always ends in tyranny.
I find a lot of local GOP luxuriating in their freedoms. It will not last forever and they need to understand that. Fortunately, I have a big mouth, and so do other bluestaterefugees.
not sure it’s luxuriating. People who value their freedoms exercise them, and don’t necessarily find talking about them ( like politicians do ) compelling. it’s worth remembering that hancock was a smuggler first and a politician second.
When I lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan (over 80% Democrat), I was crazy enough to run for office twice as a Republican. It was so stressful that the only way I could relieve tension was to go door to door and talk directly to voters. Many of them yelled at me, and I was chased off porches several times. But it paid off; in one race I got an unprecedented 40% of the vote, and my previously entrenched leftist opponent was later unseated in the primary by a moderate Democrat. I was credited with having moved the goal posts, which is better than if I had done nothing. As I see it, this is still the US, where we ought to be able to live wherever we want without having to flee for political reasons.
Texas is similar. Due to our reputation as benighted yahoos, most blue state immigrants we receive know exactly what they are fleeing and why. We’ve actually gotten redder recently. The one exception is Austin, our Peoples Republic enclave. But Austin has priced itself out of the range of the average wandering communist, and crime increases and traffic congestion have deterred others. I think we have contained the virus, and look forward to a steadily more conservative future for us.
I am a refugee. Left leftist Chicago for Las Vegas. We thought about Tennessee and even had a cup of coffee with Roger who absolutely loves Nashville. We decided to try the west, and no snow (or bugs). The one thing that will chase us out is if the Democrats ruin the state which they are trying to do. We have a gerrymandered D legislature. The local state Republican Party is run by idiots. Our new governor ran a good campaign, is a truly capable and nice human being who didn't use the Republican apparatus to get elected.
The one thing I know is leftists never quit. They are like roaches. You have to keep them in the minority and like the Presidential candidate in Argentina said, "if you give them an inch they strangle you with it".
We chose Texas due to my wife being a native and my liking the fact that the state hosts the largest number of retired Special Forces operators. Our Dallas and now Meridian neighbors treated us cautiously until they found out we had left Illinois for freedom. 50 miles out of any major city and it’s a very different country.
a leftist’s sense of self worth comes from virtue signaling rather than competence. they will never quit their march through the institutions because they believe it actually indicates value. they must be defeated
True, they never quit. There are even Democrat clubs in CA who are organizing to flip state legislatures in purple states. They don't even live there! They are that obsessed.
You should look up Drew Johnson. A former Tennessean, a long time public policy analysis, missed winning the Las Vegas city council race and now putting his hat in for Congress. As a country we really people like him in politics.
I follow him on Twitter. Donated a token amount to his campaign when he announced. He made a mistake (in my opinion) jumping into this particular Congressional race and probably would have been better off running for Senate. It's a +3 Dem district with a two term incumbent. For many (and this is unfortunate) Drew's stances on public policy are too radical. He lost his last election and if he loses this one he is probably toast as a candidate. Heidi Kasama can win that particular district. Drew looks bad smearing her the way he has.
Strategically, Republicans must win elections to have power. They also must recognize that in certain states/districts, a Ted Cruz type Republican can't win. In other districts they can.
To his credit, Drew hasn't embraced Trump with both arms. Other Republicans mistakenly have in Nevada and it doesn't play. Sigal Chattah, et al are pretty terrible leaders for the party. Lombardo is very conservative, but didn't embrace Trump. This is the path to victory in Nevada. Might not be in a place like Tennessee but it certainly looks like it is the path in a place like Georgia or North Carolina.
Couples who've moved to TN are one group and Glen's experience is probably reasonably representative. A group I have found interesting is single retired women. Most of them get all their political info from CNN or network news or our leftist newspaper and believe all kinds of stuff that isn't true. They believe that NRA funding dominates elections. They believe that women earning less than men in the White House is justified because they have different jobs but in the corporate world that can't be true. If you point out that 90% of workplace fatalities are men they say that is because men are careless and stupid. If you point out that 95% of University employees (including admin, maintenance and security) who donate to a political party support Democrats they say, well that is because intelligent people will of course support Democrats.
The schools need to be taken back, STAT. The left-wing robots that are graduating high school and hardening their flawed views on life in college are overwhelming us. It used to be said if you weren't a liberal in your 20's, you had no heart and if you weren't a conservative in your 40's, you had no brain. But these kids have had their brains eaten and are nothing more than zombies now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5PInhXkfvs
I could not imagine in the 1980s what would happen to Colorado (and I would have laughed about anybody predicting what is happening in the country today). Despite some early tax and Second Amendment victories, we were overwhelmed by the influx of out-of-state leftists as Colorado population doubled from 3 to 6 million. Smaller states are especially vulnerable to such demographic changes, and as much as I support the concept, no “welcome wagon” would have made any difference in the political monoculture of newly built developments and suburbs full of leftist newcomers.
Ah, California. I don't miss the earthquakes. Or the mudslides. Or the wildfires. Or the droughts. Or the floods. Or the dust storms. Or the insanely bloating housing prices. Or the power blackouts. Or the overpriced utilities. Or the druggies defecating on the streets. Or the myriad other things the powers that be have screwed up there.
My wife and I kayaked four miles along the Indian River a couple months ago with a dolphin pod escorting us most of the way. Peaceful, pleasant, serene, and just a mile from our house -which we can actually afford.
We escaped California, and want Florida to remain utterly unlike that open-air insane asylum.
"a better Republican political operation could easily win"
I say that all the time, Glenn. In CA the party runs a placeholder for state offices and gives no support. Even with ridiculous candidates with no campaign, they get 30-40% of the vote.With the extreme issues here, a real candidate could win. Why don't they want to upset this apple cart? The voters need to wake up--they are on their own.
And I am not saying we replace our one-party rule for another; Repubs would make as big a mess of it as the Dems have. But we do need pushback to veto-proof power, so people need to vote strategically, not emotionally. https://pd1000.substack.com/p/vote-strategically
Thanks for the mention of Roger Simon’s book. Seems to be something to look for. Brings to mind the Founders who said “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Seems right.
Being a 4th generation Californian, I wholly sympathize with the escapees, though my escape was made in the early 70s to the hard a-port stews of Seattle, and I daily reflect on yet another such move in hopes of a less-blue location. But at 83, that operation is hard to plan and execute, so will probably ride it out here where the oh-so-caring City Council 'gives' various benefits to the homeless industry at the expense those foolish enough to rent second homes to the Irresponsibles.
Growing up in small town MN, I befriended a family of literal VN boat people. It was fun...the guy in the family of my age was He Dang. When I mentioned him by name people's face would go slack. But I never detected any racism toward or from them, and this family seemed to be in America for all the right reasons and Ms Dang fed me weird authentic Vietnamese food, so whatever.
Point is, people fight, but they also get along if they try when people immigrate. He and I were friends for maybe a year or two before he moved. But he taught me some lasting lessons.
I don't think the (South)Vietnamese refugees who came here after the US withdrew from Vietnam, were people that we ever fought. They were our allies, which is why they had to get out of Vietnam after the Communists took over.
Yeah Californian here trying to time our retirement to a less crazy state. Beware of ballot harvesting, Soros DAs, and watch carefully over your school boards.
This stuff slipped by conservatives out here in Lefty-ville and we've been swimming in nonsense ever since.
Well, I have a lot to say about this being one of those refugees.
I remember living in NY/NJ and listening to Cubans and Venezuelans speak with great passion about their hatred of their former governments. Granted, those particular cultures will speak with great passion with regard to just about anything. But I found Chinese and Russians and Polish speaking with the same kind of passion...just maybe at a lower volume and with fewer hand gestures. I used to listen and be so happy for them that they were here now. But I didn't think the totalitarian behavior would come here to the US. Ha!
Now I'm them. I trend toward the louder more expressive variety because that's who I am. But I can tone it down too, to make myself more receptive to gentler, kinder Southern ears.
I didn't even live through anything remotely as oppressive as Cubans or Russians have. I just got a glimpse. A taste. The experience was horrific enough to me that I want everyone within earshot to hear me and understand that the same things that happen in bluestates can happen right here if y'all remain complacent. And it frustrates me that many remain unfazed. So I do my part locally and rattle some cages because I love my country and I don't want what's happened in blue America to happen in free America.
The GOP needs to get on the ball and find good candidates and support them, even for school board or dog catcher. The Dems do that. I don't love either party much, but one-party rule always ends in tyranny.
I find a lot of local GOP luxuriating in their freedoms. It will not last forever and they need to understand that. Fortunately, I have a big mouth, and so do other bluestaterefugees.
not sure it’s luxuriating. People who value their freedoms exercise them, and don’t necessarily find talking about them ( like politicians do ) compelling. it’s worth remembering that hancock was a smuggler first and a politician second.
Right. Just share with them the list of insane bills the CA Dems have been passing.
When I lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan (over 80% Democrat), I was crazy enough to run for office twice as a Republican. It was so stressful that the only way I could relieve tension was to go door to door and talk directly to voters. Many of them yelled at me, and I was chased off porches several times. But it paid off; in one race I got an unprecedented 40% of the vote, and my previously entrenched leftist opponent was later unseated in the primary by a moderate Democrat. I was credited with having moved the goal posts, which is better than if I had done nothing. As I see it, this is still the US, where we ought to be able to live wherever we want without having to flee for political reasons.
Twenty years of reading and listening to Glenn and Helen for free. Finally paid up.
I said the same thing in my comment when I signed up.
Texas is similar. Due to our reputation as benighted yahoos, most blue state immigrants we receive know exactly what they are fleeing and why. We’ve actually gotten redder recently. The one exception is Austin, our Peoples Republic enclave. But Austin has priced itself out of the range of the average wandering communist, and crime increases and traffic congestion have deterred others. I think we have contained the virus, and look forward to a steadily more conservative future for us.
The Texas legislature has some work to do. Still pretty much GOPe. Bush league.
I am a refugee. Left leftist Chicago for Las Vegas. We thought about Tennessee and even had a cup of coffee with Roger who absolutely loves Nashville. We decided to try the west, and no snow (or bugs). The one thing that will chase us out is if the Democrats ruin the state which they are trying to do. We have a gerrymandered D legislature. The local state Republican Party is run by idiots. Our new governor ran a good campaign, is a truly capable and nice human being who didn't use the Republican apparatus to get elected.
The one thing I know is leftists never quit. They are like roaches. You have to keep them in the minority and like the Presidential candidate in Argentina said, "if you give them an inch they strangle you with it".
We chose Texas due to my wife being a native and my liking the fact that the state hosts the largest number of retired Special Forces operators. Our Dallas and now Meridian neighbors treated us cautiously until they found out we had left Illinois for freedom. 50 miles out of any major city and it’s a very different country.
a leftist’s sense of self worth comes from virtue signaling rather than competence. they will never quit their march through the institutions because they believe it actually indicates value. they must be defeated
True, they never quit. There are even Democrat clubs in CA who are organizing to flip state legislatures in purple states. They don't even live there! They are that obsessed.
You should look up Drew Johnson. A former Tennessean, a long time public policy analysis, missed winning the Las Vegas city council race and now putting his hat in for Congress. As a country we really people like him in politics.
I follow him on Twitter. Donated a token amount to his campaign when he announced. He made a mistake (in my opinion) jumping into this particular Congressional race and probably would have been better off running for Senate. It's a +3 Dem district with a two term incumbent. For many (and this is unfortunate) Drew's stances on public policy are too radical. He lost his last election and if he loses this one he is probably toast as a candidate. Heidi Kasama can win that particular district. Drew looks bad smearing her the way he has.
Strategically, Republicans must win elections to have power. They also must recognize that in certain states/districts, a Ted Cruz type Republican can't win. In other districts they can.
To his credit, Drew hasn't embraced Trump with both arms. Other Republicans mistakenly have in Nevada and it doesn't play. Sigal Chattah, et al are pretty terrible leaders for the party. Lombardo is very conservative, but didn't embrace Trump. This is the path to victory in Nevada. Might not be in a place like Tennessee but it certainly looks like it is the path in a place like Georgia or North Carolina.
Try the Carson City area. There are counties here (Douglas and Lyon) that haven't voted Democrat since FDR.
Couples who've moved to TN are one group and Glen's experience is probably reasonably representative. A group I have found interesting is single retired women. Most of them get all their political info from CNN or network news or our leftist newspaper and believe all kinds of stuff that isn't true. They believe that NRA funding dominates elections. They believe that women earning less than men in the White House is justified because they have different jobs but in the corporate world that can't be true. If you point out that 90% of workplace fatalities are men they say that is because men are careless and stupid. If you point out that 95% of University employees (including admin, maintenance and security) who donate to a political party support Democrats they say, well that is because intelligent people will of course support Democrats.
Dang. I am so adding a pink crustacean to my white jacket next time I wear it.
The schools need to be taken back, STAT. The left-wing robots that are graduating high school and hardening their flawed views on life in college are overwhelming us. It used to be said if you weren't a liberal in your 20's, you had no heart and if you weren't a conservative in your 40's, you had no brain. But these kids have had their brains eaten and are nothing more than zombies now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5PInhXkfvs
I could not imagine in the 1980s what would happen to Colorado (and I would have laughed about anybody predicting what is happening in the country today). Despite some early tax and Second Amendment victories, we were overwhelmed by the influx of out-of-state leftists as Colorado population doubled from 3 to 6 million. Smaller states are especially vulnerable to such demographic changes, and as much as I support the concept, no “welcome wagon” would have made any difference in the political monoculture of newly built developments and suburbs full of leftist newcomers.
California is probably the most destructive force in American politics today, with NY a close second. Without them, I might see long term hope.
you got em from Illinois, Mass, and NY too.
Ah, California. I don't miss the earthquakes. Or the mudslides. Or the wildfires. Or the droughts. Or the floods. Or the dust storms. Or the insanely bloating housing prices. Or the power blackouts. Or the overpriced utilities. Or the druggies defecating on the streets. Or the myriad other things the powers that be have screwed up there.
My wife and I kayaked four miles along the Indian River a couple months ago with a dolphin pod escorting us most of the way. Peaceful, pleasant, serene, and just a mile from our house -which we can actually afford.
We escaped California, and want Florida to remain utterly unlike that open-air insane asylum.
The CA legislature is busy repealing prop 13. That should help with housing prices.
"a better Republican political operation could easily win"
I say that all the time, Glenn. In CA the party runs a placeholder for state offices and gives no support. Even with ridiculous candidates with no campaign, they get 30-40% of the vote.With the extreme issues here, a real candidate could win. Why don't they want to upset this apple cart? The voters need to wake up--they are on their own.
And I am not saying we replace our one-party rule for another; Repubs would make as big a mess of it as the Dems have. But we do need pushback to veto-proof power, so people need to vote strategically, not emotionally. https://pd1000.substack.com/p/vote-strategically
Thanks for the mention of Roger Simon’s book. Seems to be something to look for. Brings to mind the Founders who said “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance.” Seems right.
I hope you’re right, but a quick look at New Hampshire and Colorado isn’t reassuring.
Being a 4th generation Californian, I wholly sympathize with the escapees, though my escape was made in the early 70s to the hard a-port stews of Seattle, and I daily reflect on yet another such move in hopes of a less-blue location. But at 83, that operation is hard to plan and execute, so will probably ride it out here where the oh-so-caring City Council 'gives' various benefits to the homeless industry at the expense those foolish enough to rent second homes to the Irresponsibles.
Growing up in small town MN, I befriended a family of literal VN boat people. It was fun...the guy in the family of my age was He Dang. When I mentioned him by name people's face would go slack. But I never detected any racism toward or from them, and this family seemed to be in America for all the right reasons and Ms Dang fed me weird authentic Vietnamese food, so whatever.
Point is, people fight, but they also get along if they try when people immigrate. He and I were friends for maybe a year or two before he moved. But he taught me some lasting lessons.
I don't think the (South)Vietnamese refugees who came here after the US withdrew from Vietnam, were people that we ever fought. They were our allies, which is why they had to get out of Vietnam after the Communists took over.
And Jerry Brown tried to keep them out of CA.
Yeah Californian here trying to time our retirement to a less crazy state. Beware of ballot harvesting, Soros DAs, and watch carefully over your school boards.
This stuff slipped by conservatives out here in Lefty-ville and we've been swimming in nonsense ever since.