Dissatisfied with the national election results, a chorus has sprung up in California arguing that the state should secede from the union—Calexit the move is labeled after Britain’s Brexit from the European Union.
While not taken seriously by many, the idea does promote some thoughts.
Financially, Calexit advocates feel the state can stand on its own since California is the sixth largest economy in the world and is a donor state meaning it sends more dollars to the federal government than it receives back. Of course, as an independent nation it would be subject to economic pressures that might change its fiscal status.
The new nation will have to consider how it will police its borders. California being a strong pro-immigration state may have few border guards and allow most anyone to enter. But the nation would have to issue passports so there will have to be some sort of border security. Will it be more or less than the Unites States provides now?
Speaking of security, the U.S. Navy would exit San Diego and the Marines will abandon Camp Pendleton. The new California nation might try to negotiate a deal where they would lease the defense sites to the U.S. military, but a rejected U.S. government may not be in a bargaining mood.
There will be an opportunity to build much needed housing on the open acres of Camp Pendleton but environmentalists, strengthening their hand in the new nation, certainly would not permit that.
Imagine a Bill of Rights in the new nation’s constitution. No version of the Second Amendment will appear; given the direction California is going probably means no guns will be allowed. The First Amendment might also be in jeopardy as well since the idea behind Calexit seems to be to create a nation as a haven for like thinkers.
Pulling California away from the rest of the country would be a complicated and expensive exercise, an idea seemingly settled by the Civil War, but the Calexit idea may devolve back to the idea that comes up on a regular basis here — splitting the state.
Imagine if the state split north to south with all the strongly left leaning coastal communities becoming one state: West California. Splitting the state has always faced the obstacle of needing Congress to approve such a move. However, the new Congress just might be amenable for political reasons.
Congress is in the hands of the Republicans. California is a Democratic state with a whopping 55 electoral votes. Creating an East California with maybe 15 electoral votes that are competitive—a new swing state—might appeal to Congress and allow those dissatisfied with the recent election results some satisfaction that they have created a sanctuary for themselves.
Fun to contemplate, but Calexit or splitting the state in two has about the same chance as Sen. Barbara Boxer’s newly introduced constitutional amendment to end the Electoral College.