Calexit: Legitimate Movement Or Overreaction?

Patrick McCorkle
Aug 8, 2017 · 2 min read

Calexit- what do you think of when you hear this word? Since the presidential election of Donald Trump, Calexit is the latest catchphrase in the Californian secession movement. The name is a clever homage to Brexit and supporters hope that California can peacefully separate from the rest of the United States.

The first group to aggressively promote the Calexit moniker was Yes California, which formed in August 2015. With the victory of Mr. Trump, Calexit became more and more popular on social media. The group temporarily halted its operations in April, when president Louis J. Marinelli announced his plans to live in Russia. Consequently, the group’s pro-Russian funding and ties were made public.

Another group has continued Yes California’s work. The California Freedom Coalition (CFC) proudly declares on its website that “California is a Nation, and it’s Time We Acted Like It.” CFC is pushing for signatures for California’s independence to be put on the 2018 election ballot. Recent polls have support for Calexit around 32%.

Recently, CFC’s vice president Shankar Singam appeared on Tucker Carlson Tonight. In a bizarre segment, Mr. Singam refers to California as “not the United States” so it doesn’t need to follow U.S. laws and says it is good that middle class Californians are leaving for other states so that they can be replaced with immigrants.

Why am I writing about this? Because I feel the Calexit movement is an exaggerated, childish reaction to Mr. Trump’s election. The movement seriously spiked in popularity after November 8th and if you look at the group’s Twitter, they constantly espouse support for former President Barack Obama and other Democratic politicians. If Secretary Clinton had won the election, would the CFC even exist?

I highly doubt it. Mr. Trump, at most, can be president for 8 years. Democrats could win Congress in 2018 and the presidency in 2020. A state doesn’t have to secede from the Union because an election did not go its way. Our democracy has survived plenty of elections where the population is quite divided afterward. Only once did it lead to civil war. Why should 2016 be like 1860?

I grant Mr. Signam makes some good points, such as California’s immigration policy and other values are different than most of the USA’s. Mr. Carlson also agrees that California possesses its own unique culture and in many ways, acts like its own nation. However, both of these facts do not mean California should secede from the Union, especially due to one election.

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Originally published at theprimacyofpolitics.blogspot.com on August 7, 2017.

Patrick McCorkle

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I am a recent college graduate with a major in Political Science, History and Spanish who has a keen interest in politics. theprimacyofpolitics.blogspot.com

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