Just a quick discussion topic that I thought I'd broach. The "Big Sort" refers to red areas getting redder and blue areas getting bluer due to migration as people want to be in more like-minded communities as polarization increases. Given lackluster legislative election results despite elevated Republican turnout, are we seeing evidence of The Great Sort in action? Will red states get increased representation after the next census? Could this mean a more red legislature in the longer term? Perhaps, but the GOP needs to strongly improve its GOTV efforts.

Never thought about that angle but that's as good a point as any.

End result will be increased political conflict between states.

That's what we'll see more of. We see it now in Florida.

People forget that the 10th amendment is in the bill or rights too.

I moved from Minnesota to Alabama largely because of the political hell scape and social climate and values in MN not being aligned to what my wife and I believe.

This sorting is happening.

I have family that left Texas to move to New York City because he is a far left socialist.

When I moved to LA in 2004, it was live and let live.

After Trump, Covid, Newsom, etc., It's now Team Deathmatch with a Mortal Kombat - Finish Him.

The only realistic option is Texas
The only good new is that for the first time in 100 years, California didn't gain any Electoral College votes from the last census.

Gerrymandering is what destroyed this country, no really, it did what no nation-state could ever have done.

The Dems know to exploit every loophole as much as possible to boost census numbers in states they dominate to increase odds of favorable apportionment numbers. Saved them 2 seats in the House last time.

MouthBQ98 said:

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The Dems know to exploit every loophole as much as possible to boost census numbers in states they dominate to increase odds of favorable apportionment numbers. Saved them 2 seats in the House last time.

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Biden jacking around with the census cost Republican states a total of 6 seats.

TheEternalPessimist said:

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I moved from Minnesota to Alabama largely because of the political hell scape and social climate and values in MN not being aligned to what my wife and I believe.

This sorting is happening.

I have family that left Texas to move to New York City because he is a far left socialist.

---

One of my old high school, progressive -minded, classmates from the 1980s moved from Austin to a lilly white suburb of Minneapolis. Their first complaint on social media after being there a couple of months: the grocery store isn't as good as HEB.

I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

Bag said:

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Gerrymandering is what destroyed this country, no really, it did what no nation-state could ever have done.

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I think social media divided and galvanized the country far more than gerrymandering ever could.

Gerrymandering has just entrenched the political fault lines to where there isn't going to be a lot of movement from election to election.

Urban Ag said:

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I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

---

As a long term solution, that may work. In the short term, that jeopardizes red areas in blue states and blue areas in red states. However I would argue it poses more of a threat to the former than the latter.

If red states can think ahead and start attracting red voters closer to the next census, it could mean a growth in representatives and electoral college points in favor of the Republicans.

It's also why leftists are so desperate to export their voters from the inner city cores out to the suburbs through new HUD regulations demanding that the burbs build lots of dense low income housing or face loss of federal dollars and now, federal law suits

Suburbs are the true battle ground now

I left Seattle in part for this reason. Less social and more economic with how it made more sense for a lot of the work on the program I was on being done in South Carolina than Everett. That's where the growth and opportunity was. It was great not needing to think twice before speaking up about something outside of work because dissenting views weren't tolerated very well in the PNW. Not the reason I moved but a big plus.

Your employer is not hard to guess

That's a shame. That company was a workplace desired destination for most of its existence.

I grew up in the PNW, have been gone for nearly three decades, and wouldn't every consider going back except to visit family once a year. Absolutely amazing place to grow up in back then. Scenery is still tops in the world. People are freak shows and the politics is toxic. Only saving grace is that like many liberal states, a small number of counties control everything but the vast majority of the land itself is inhabited by mostly sane people.

Related to this we need to get the census correct.......

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3504546-census-blunder-may-tip-2024-to-democrats/

The Census Bureau acknowledged that 14 states had significant miscounts in the 2020 census. See if you notice a pattern here: Among the overcounted states are Hawaii, Delaware, Rhode Island, Minnesota, New York and Massachusetts. Five of these six voted for Joe Biden in that year's presidential election. The undercounted states were Texas, Illinois, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. Five of these six voted for Donald Trump.

.....

The error resulted in over 600,000 overcounted residents in New York and a similar amount undercounted in Texas. Last year, media coverage lamented that New York lost a member of Congress by being 89 residents short. With the revised, accurate numbers, New York may have lost a second seat had the corrected numbers been available earlier. Considering that Republicans need to flip just five seats to retake Congress, each misplaced seat is crucial.

It's a lot of factors. We used to be divided politically, but fairly mixed in our distribution and politics was more local. We also lived locally and knew our neighbors, and our jobs might be a career in one place or area.

Now media and communication has allowed most political issues to become national issues, we don't know our neighbors well because we can communicate with anyone at any time, and we have enough wealth and mobility to easily relocate, and our employment is more mobile and less tied to the land, or property, and very much less likely to be a lifelong career at one location.

Given the choice, we can simply more often relocate to areas with people more like ourselves in culture and politics. We gradually self segregate along political and cultural lines. It's a matter of comfort and also satisfies confirmation biases as we reduce interactions with contrasting perspectives.

Districts being redrawn to be "safe" for both sides has done more to promote far left and right political candidates than any physical movement of voters.

Waffledynamics said:

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Just a quick discussion topic that I thought I'd broach. The "Big Sort" refers to red areas getting redder and blue areas getting bluer due to migration as people want to be in more like-minded communities as polarization increases. Given lackluster legislative election results despite elevated Republican turnout, are we seeing evidence of The Great Sort in action? Will red states get increased representation after the next census? Could this mean a more red legislature in the longer term? Perhaps, but the GOP needs to strongly improve its GOTV efforts.

---

As long as folks keep ignoring election fraud or using the terms "conspiracy theorist" and "debunked", red areas will not receive increased representation.

DTP02 said:

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Bag said:

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Gerrymandering is what destroyed this country, no really, it did what no nation-state could ever have done.

---

I think social media divided and galvanized the country far more than gerrymandering ever could.

Gerrymandering has just entrenched the political fault lines to where there isn't going to be a lot of movement from election to election.

---

Gerrymandering was the original sin that was made weapons grade by the invention of social media, it literally took the ability to compromise off the table and ensured that only the most polarizing, most radical on either side would get elected.

And then we sit around and wonder why the country is so divided lol

AgBandsman said:

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Waffledynamics said:

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Just a quick discussion topic that I thought I'd broach. The "Big Sort" refers to red areas getting redder and blue areas getting bluer due to migration as people want to be in more like-minded communities as polarization increases. Given lackluster legislative election results despite elevated Republican turnout, are we seeing evidence of The Great Sort in action? Will red states get increased representation after the next census? Could this mean a more red legislature in the longer term? Perhaps, but the GOP needs to strongly improve its GOTV efforts.

---

As long as folks keep ignoring election fraud or using the terms "conspiracy theorist" and "debunked", red areas will not receive increased representation.

---

"Election deniers" too, one of the wonderfully biased terms the MSM likes to use on the 6:30 evening news on weekdays.

Urban Ag said:

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I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

---

They already have.

Urban Ag said:

---

I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

---

THIS. This actually very good news. The age of the 50 needs to end, and we need new cultural regions so that each side can have their bailiwick. You are not going to vote your way back to any accord with such opposite tracks. There is more divided between 21st woke and the right than there was Christianity and Islam in the Crusades.

You need different regions. Florida is shaping up as one; hopefully Texas will be also.

Waffledynamics said:

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Urban Ag said:

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I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

---

As a long term solution, that may work. In the short term, that jeopardizes red areas in blue states and blue areas in red states. However I would argue it poses more of a threat to the former than the latter.

If red states can think ahead and start attracting red voters closer to the next census, it could mean a growth in representatives and electoral college points in favor of the Republicans.

---

Agree with Urban. We very briefly considered relocating out of state to a purple state for a job opportunity for my wife. Kicked it around for about a week and then I woke up and faced reality and told her we weren't living anywhere but Texas or Florida as a Plan B. Less than a decade ago I would have scoffed at Florida and been open to living in any number of states, but it's simply not worth potentially losing freedoms over it now.

As it stands, we still live in Dallas which is 100% Democrat, effectively, which leads me to my response to your bolded which is that I agree with you. Blue cities in Texas are only getting bluer and I don't see that changing anytime soon simply because of the density of corporations located here coupled with the utter uniqueness of Texas.

The only way it does is if multiple corporate HQs decide to start relocating out of Texas. And that would be a hard sell for them to do that considering Texas is smack dab in the middle of the country and is a business friendly state. So being HQ'ed here means you are halfway between the east and west coasts, equidistant from the major Canadian cities, and at the southern/central most point to get to anywhere in Mexico, Central America, or South America.

It's effectively the best piece of land on the planet.

[so many edits]

YouBet said:

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Waffledynamics said:

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Urban Ag said:

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I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

---

As a long term solution, that may work. In the short term, that jeopardizes red areas in blue states and blue areas in red states. However I would argue it poses more of a threat to the former than the latter.

If red states can think ahead and start attracting red voters closer to the next census, it could mean a growth in representatives and electoral college points in favor of the Republicans.

---

Agree with Urban. We very briefly considered relocating out of state to a purple state for a job opportunity for my wife. Kicked it around for about a week and then I woke up and faced reality and told her we weren't living anywhere but Texas or Florida as a Plan B. Less than a decade ago I would have scoffed at Florida and been open to living in any number of states, but it's simply not worth potentially losing freedoms over it now.

As it stands, we still live in Dallas which is 100% Democrat, effectively, which leads me to my response to your bolded which is that I agree with you. Blue cities in Texas are only getting bluer and I don't see that changing anytime soon simply because of the utter uniqueness of Texas.

The only way it does is if multiple corporate HQs decide to start relocating out of Texas. And that would be a hard sell for them to do that considering Texas is smack dab in the middle of the country and is a business friendly state. So being HQ'ed here means you are halfway between the east and west coasts, equidistant from the major Canadian cities, and at the southern/central most point to get to anywhere in Mexico, Central America, or South America.

It's effectively the best piece of land on the planet.

---

Interesting post. As for Dallas being Democrat, you have to look at Mayor Johnson. There is a type of Democrat that is not particularly "Austinite/Berkeley" bad. I think Dallas could easily elect Republicans that took a more local tone rather than tying with the national agendas for the same reason some Democrats that don't seem especially destructive get elected. Jenkins is more of the Lina in Houston type-- a national Dem and it shows. And the state environment does factor--- fwiw are picking up a growing distinct desire that D/FW not resemble Austin. That sentiment may change things.

But on your decision to consciously avoid a career move even to a purple state--- man, that is telling. It appears correct too -- if what you grow up in matters at all, but still surprising.

Turns out this shows the same thought from the other side--- put it another thread but what is so striking is how it shows no awareness at all that even Trump is a reaction to Democrat-Woke agendas. This is not one of those occasions of the chicken-egg --- -we know what became unhinged first. Previewed plenty under Obama.

We should drop the idea of the United States of America being one country | Opinion (msn.com)

titan said:

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YouBet said:

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Waffledynamics said:

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Urban Ag said:

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I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

---

As a long term solution, that may work. In the short term, that jeopardizes red areas in blue states and blue areas in red states. However I would argue it poses more of a threat to the former than the latter.

If red states can think ahead and start attracting red voters closer to the next census, it could mean a growth in representatives and electoral college points in favor of the Republicans.

---

Agree with Urban. We very briefly considered relocating out of state to a purple state for a job opportunity for my wife. Kicked it around for about a week and then I woke up and faced reality and told her we weren't living anywhere but Texas or Florida as a Plan B. Less than a decade ago I would have scoffed at Florida and been open to living in any number of states, but it's simply not worth potentially losing freedoms over it now.

As it stands, we still live in Dallas which is 100% Democrat, effectively, which leads me to my response to your bolded which is that I agree with you. Blue cities in Texas are only getting bluer and I don't see that changing anytime soon simply because of the utter uniqueness of Texas.

The only way it does is if multiple corporate HQs decide to start relocating out of Texas. And that would be a hard sell for them to do that considering Texas is smack dab in the middle of the country and is a business friendly state. So being HQ'ed here means you are halfway between the east and west coasts, equidistant from the major Canadian cities, and at the southern/central most point to get to anywhere in Mexico, Central America, or South America.

It's effectively the best piece of land on the planet.

---

Interesting post. As for Dallas being Democrat, you have to look at Mayor Johnson. There is a type of Democrat that is not particularly "Austinite/Berkeley" bad. I think Dallas could easily elect Republicans that took a more local tone rather than tying with the national agendas for the same reason some Democrats that don't seem especially destructive get elected. Jenkins is more of the Lina in Houston type-- a national Dem and it shows. And the state environment does factor--- fwiw are picking up a growing distinct desire that D/FW not resemble Austin. That sentiment may change things.

But on your decision to consciously avoid a career move even to a purple state--- man, that is telling. It appears correct too -- if what you grow up in matters at all, but still surprising.

Turns out this shows the same thought from the other side--- put it another thread but what is so striking is how it shows no awareness at all that even Trump is a reaction to Democrat-Woke agendas. This is not one of those occasions of the chicken-egg --- -we know what became unhinged first. Previewed plenty under Obama.

We should drop the idea of the United States of America being one country | Opinion (msn.com)

---

True on Johnson. He's turned out to be a middle of the road Mayor or one of the very last remaining blue dog Democrats. If I'm a conservative running for office in Dallas, I would run as a Democrat and then do what he did and not govern as a national Democrat. No other way you are getting elected here, so I have to disagree on being able to elect Republicans running on a local tone. Never happen.

If you look at election results from the last several elections the Democrats win every race by a minimum of 60-65%, if someone runs against them. We had 40+ judgeships that had Democrats running unopposed this last election. Completely walked into the endzone untouched because everyone knows you can't win as a Republican here. Now, hopefully, you had a bunch of people do what I just said and run as a D but are actually R's.

BTW, that purple state was Pennsylvania and this consideration was before Fetterman entered the picture. Imagine our horror if that would have panned out and we had to wake up in a state were a communist goon and the dumbest person in elected office this side of Biden and Harris was your Senator. Good lord.

YouBet said:

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titan said:

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YouBet said:

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Waffledynamics said:

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Urban Ag said:

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I have been saying for years that this is the wanted position. Anyone right of center, or just moderate for that matter, needs to leave blue states ASAP. Your vote means little to nothing. Migrate. Balkanize. Hopefully to purple states that need the numbers, if not, make red states redder.

This country is irreversibly split and never come together again. We could literally get invaded by China and the left would likely side with them.

---

As a long term solution, that may work. In the short term, that jeopardizes red areas in blue states and blue areas in red states. However I would argue it poses more of a threat to the former than the latter.

If red states can think ahead and start attracting red voters closer to the next census, it could mean a growth in representatives and electoral college points in favor of the Republicans.

---

Agree with Urban. We very briefly considered relocating out of state to a purple state for a job opportunity for my wife. Kicked it around for about a week and then I woke up and faced reality and told her we weren't living anywhere but Texas or Florida as a Plan B. Less than a decade ago I would have scoffed at Florida and been open to living in any number of states, but it's simply not worth potentially losing freedoms over it now.

As it stands, we still live in Dallas which is 100% Democrat, effectively, which leads me to my response to your bolded which is that I agree with you. Blue cities in Texas are only getting bluer and I don't see that changing anytime soon simply because of the utter uniqueness of Texas.

The only way it does is if multiple corporate HQs decide to start relocating out of Texas. And that would be a hard sell for them to do that considering Texas is smack dab in the middle of the country and is a business friendly state. So being HQ'ed here means you are halfway between the east and west coasts, equidistant from the major Canadian cities, and at the southern/central most point to get to anywhere in Mexico, Central America, or South America.

It's effectively the best piece of land on the planet.

---

Interesting post. As for Dallas being Democrat, you have to look at Mayor Johnson. There is a type of Democrat that is not particularly "Austinite/Berkeley" bad. I think Dallas could easily elect Republicans that took a more local tone rather than tying with the national agendas for the same reason some Democrats that don't seem especially destructive get elected. Jenkins is more of the Lina in Houston type-- a national Dem and it shows. And the state environment does factor--- fwiw are picking up a growing distinct desire that D/FW not resemble Austin. That sentiment may change things.

But on your decision to consciously avoid a career move even to a purple state--- man, that is telling. It appears correct too -- if what you grow up in matters at all, but still surprising.

Turns out this shows the same thought from the other side--- put it another thread but what is so striking is how it shows no awareness at all that even Trump is a reaction to Democrat-Woke agendas. This is not one of those occasions of the chicken-egg --- -we know what became unhinged first. Previewed plenty under Obama.

We should drop the idea of the United States of America being one country | Opinion (msn.com)

---

True on Johnson. He's turned out to be a middle of the road Mayor or one of the very last remaining blue dog Democrats. If I'm a conservative running for office in Dallas, I would run as a Democrat and then do what he did and not govern as a national Democrat. No other way you are getting elected here, so I have to disagree on being able to elect Republicans running on a local tone. Never happen.

If you look at election results from the last several elections the Democrats win every race by a minimum of 60-65%, if someone runs against them. We had 40+ judgeships that had Democrats running unopposed this last election. Completely walked into the endzone untouched because everyone knows you can't win as a Republican here. Now, hopefully, you had a bunch of people do what I just said and run as a D but are actually R's.

BTW, that purple state was Pennsylvania and this consideration was before Fetterman entered the picture. Imagine our horror if that would have panned out and we had to wake up in a state were a communist goon and the dumbest person in elected office this side of Biden and Harris was your Senator. Good lord.

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Holy crap, that would have been something of a shock indeed. Good call!

Given what you said in the disagree part, you may be right if that is the figures. I was more going by the fact that the average person is not wanting that kind of tone --- and perhaps Johnson's success is precisely to the degree is straddling that line. I think you have a good idea that one should run as a Democrat and not govern as a Lefty. That might not be that hard if you made local the focus. Yes, that's a better idea.

That article is just such typical hypocrisy from the left. Premise is entirely accurate, but then goes onto only call out examples as to why conservatives are the ones that keep us from being whole. If we would just agree with Democrats politically, then we could all live happily ever after.

Never mind ethics or morals.

This one example sums it up perfectly:

Quote:

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They [Republicans] seem bent of the ruination of young women's bodies for the sake of protecting cell clusters that aren't human yet.

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No word on ruining young women and young men's bodies (literally butchering their bodies to a point of no return) to assuage an extreme mental disorder.

I appreciate your honesty, but who the Senators are for a particular state (or any politician, for that matter) would never come into my decision making process on whether to take a job in that state.

New World Ag said:

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I appreciate your honesty, but who the Senators are for a particular state (or any politician, for that matter) would never come into my decision making process on whether to take a job in that state.

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Well, it does mine in 2022. A state that can actually elect someone as literally as stupid as Fetterman is close to not deserving statehood anymore. And I don't care about all the supposed extenuating circumstances with who he was running against.

Unfortunately, that's where we are as a country. It's simply not worth it to move anywhere that has elected officials who desire to destroy the Constitution.

New World Ag said:

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I appreciate your honesty, but who the Senators are for a particular state (or any politician, for that matter) would never come into my decision making process on whether to take a job in that state.

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That's surprising -- because there is another thread about how politicians in both CA and NY are giving exactly such reasons to never put yourself under their heel.

Quote:

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f I'm a conservative running for office in Dallas, I would run as a Democrat and then do what he did and not govern as a national Democrat. No other way you are getting elected here, so I have to disagree on being able to elect Republicans running on a local tone. Never happen.

If you look at election results from the last several elections the Democrats win every race by a minimum of 60-65%, if someone runs against them. We had 40+ judgeships that had Democrats running unopposed this last election. Completely walked into the endzone untouched because everyone knows you can't win as a Republican here. Now, hopefully, you had a bunch of people do what I just said and run as a D but are actually R's.

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what is your strategy to win the democrat primary as a republican pretending to be a democrat?

Lie. It's what the Democrats do all the time. You just have to tell the lies that they want to believe are true. Tell them what they want to hear when it is necessary. It works.

MouthBQ98 said:

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Lie. It's what the Democrats do all the time. You just have to tell the lies that they want to believe are true. Tell them what they want to hear when it is necessary. It works.

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And depending on the race you really don't have to say anything. Vast majority of races at the city and county have candidates that no one has ever even seen nor heard from outside of (possibly) an interview by the DMN to get their policies on record.

So, just run as a D and then govern differently. No one is going to know any different until you are already elected since most everyone in Dallas County blindly votes Democrat no matter what.

This was done big time. In Texas, Republicans won every statewide race by 11-20 points and didn't net any gain in the House because Dems and Reps basically got seats for life. I think the average margin of victory was 20-30 points for US House elections in Texas. This happened in almost every state. Very few toss up congressional seats.