The bad boys of Brexit join fight to break up California

[octoberlib]

Source: The Times

They made their names breaking Britain away from Brussels, but Nigel Farage and his money man Arron Banks have now set themselves an even tougher target — splitting California in two.

The self-styled “bad boys of Brexit” have just returned from the state, where Farage helped raise $1m (£800,000) for a campaign to set up a referendum to divide California down the middle.

The Farage and Banks-backed intervention comes amid competing visions for “Calexit”, with a rival effort aiming to take the state out of the union in reaction to the election of Donald Trump.

The British pair believe the same political playbook as Banks’s Leave.EU campaign would triumph by pitching ordinary people against the liberals of Los Angeles.

Read more: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/the-bad-boys-of-brexit-joinfight-to-break-up-california-k86ptklw3

[TomCADem]

1. LA Times - "Moscow welcomes the (would-be) sovereign nations of California and Texas"

Makes you wonder whether Moscow pays them a stipend for sowing dissent among NATO members.

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-russia-separatists-snap-story.html

The speaker was calling for California’s independence from the United States.

Alexei Gavrilko nodded approvingly. A burly, bearded, camouflage-wearing separatist from eastern Ukraine, he said he had come to the posh Moscow hotel just outside the Kremlin to “communicate with colleagues” representing separatist and secessionist groups from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union.

During a conference dubbed the Dialogue of Nations, Gavrilko listened carefully to Louis Marinelli, head of the Yes California group that is determined to hold the Golden State’s “independence referendum” in 2019.

“For the first time in history, we, the people of California, who were conquered and annexed by the American military about 170 years ago, will have a chance to express our voice to either remain a state in the American union, or instead, to pursue a path toward a nationhood,” Marinelli said solemnly.

[octoberlib]

5. I wouldn't doubt it. my first thought was Russia when I read this.

[Dawson Leery]

2. UK Intel must find if Farage is being paid by Russia.

If so, he will die in prison.

[lancelyons]

16. This kind of undermining our country should not be allowed.

I cant believe this kind of thing would be allowed. This all comes under freedom of speech I am guessing, but this approach should not be allowed.

[briv1016]

3. This is about the Senate and the Filibuster.

Is it possible for them to Gerrymander another state (or two) out of California to give the Republicans 2 more seats?

Edit: Upstate New York might be next.

[Jonny Appleseed]

4. If California becomes 2 states before Puerto Rico becomes one...

I stg

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Deport these foreign meddlers

America can handle its own affairs

[msongs]

7. 2 california states 4 democratic senators

[Kablooie]

13. No. 2 Republican senators.

They want to split it vertically.
The left coast are LA an SF.
The right are the farm and desert communities that are strongly Republican.

[vkkv]

25. Nope, the pro-splitters' agenda would be do add to GOP Senators as the east is full of conservative

Fed dollar money suckers.

Same reason the GOP does not want Wash. DC to be given statehood = 2 more Dem Senators..

[harun]

26. +1

[truebluegreen]

8. Not happening.

Just as it didn't in CO.

[Johnyawl]

9. Nigel Farage and Arron Banks might want to familiarize themselves with the US Constitution

It takes more than a popular vote to split up a state and have them all accepted into the union.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_partition_proposals

Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution, oftentimes called the New States Clause, grants to the United States Congress the authority to admit new states into the United States beyond the thirteen already in existence at the time the Constitution went into effect (June 21, 1788, after ratification by nine of the thirteen states).[1] It also includes a stipulation originally designed to give Eastern states that still had Western land claims (then including Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia) a veto over whether their western counties could become states.[2]

New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress

The California legislature is dominated by the Democrats. It's quite possible to split California into two states and have both of them dominated by the Democrats. In which case the national Republican dominated legislature would refuse to approve it.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Do These Idiots Know Where SF Is?

And Berkeley and Silicon Valley?
Could they be any stupider?

[denbot]

11. Not going to happen

It should flush out others who are Russian agents.

[Kennah]

12. Breaking California into pieces would mean more Democratic U.S. Senators (n/t)

[briv1016]

14. Not necessarily.

If you separate Republican regions into new states, the remaining area becomes deeper blue but is now surrounded by pink states with their own senators. Gerrymandering 101.

[Kennah]

32. It is possible to Gerrymander a new Red State ...

... but the State Legislature and Congress have to agree to it.

[byronius]

15. Nope. Big waste of time and money for these Orcs.

[Tactical Peek]

17. I smell a big, fat, commie rat.

[winstars]

18. +1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

[Hekate]

27. Oligarchical rat...

...The Commies are gone. Long live the Oligarchs.

[NewRedDawn]

19. Limey Mother Fucker

needs to go to Moscow & never be seen again.

[GulfCoast66]

20. This is the dumbest fucking thing

I have ever read on DU.

[Turbineguy]

21. Divide and conquer.

Florida is kind of elongulated too. Two-state solution is called for.

And Texas, it's so biiiiig! At least fours states there.

[yuiyoshida]

22. Will NEVER happen.

California could become its own country, but not likely anytime soon.

[EricMaundry]

23. This is a Putin operation all the way

Being a CA kind of guy, should I run into any of their petition people I will be happy to inform them that they have been employed by traitors.

[vkkv]

24. "East" California would be BROKE in no time flat. Eastern California is home

to a per-capita majority of the poorest, welfare sucking, able-bodied Republican voters on disability claims in the state. I know, I see them every trip into town.

""Vote for Trump, but don't take away my welfare, medicare, food stamps and other free stuff! Oh and taxes are TOO high!""

[Hekate]

28. Putin and his tools really are trying to destroy the US, aren't they? Find any crack...

...and use a crackpot to drive a wedge into it.

[Panich52]

29. Wonder if they spent time in the trying-to-secede Calif

area they call, oxymoronically, "Jefferson" (rather RW area).

[MindPilot]

30. "pitching ordinary people against the liberals of Los Angeles."

Angelenos are not ordinary people?! Fuck whoever wrote that.

[Kimchijeon]

31. Can we petition to have MN join Canada? I'm all for that!! lol

This news is almost too hilarious. Go for it, dudes.