Is polarization intensifying in the United States, with liberals running to blue states and moving to "talk politics"? American media: Conservatives running towards Red State split | Polarization | United States
The recently passed Independence Day holiday in the United States was shrouded in a heavy black shadow - more than ten large-scale shooting incidents broke the record for the number of gun incidents during the National Day holiday.
In addition to the escalating gun violence, the increasing division between politics and society has also recently raised concerns in American public opinion.
The Associated Press pointed out that as political polarization intensifies, conservatives rush towards the red states and liberals flood into the blue states. The division of states has reached the most severe level in modern American history.
Finding a place to be oneself
If asked why they want to move to another place, different people may give different answers. For example, a better living environment, more job opportunities, less life pressure, and so on.
However, for today's Americans, there is a more important driving factor, which is politics.
Retired police officer Tim Cole and his wife Jennifer originally lived in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California. Last year, their family moved to the Boise suburb of Idaho.
After moving into their new home, the couple did something they couldn't even imagine before - they erected an American flag and a thin blue line flag representing law enforcement on the open space outside their house.
Jennifer admitted that when living in the suburbs of Los Angeles, she dared not fly the thin blue line flag, as it would expose her conservative tendencies and could potentially lead to attacks. But the neighbors here appreciate their actions, they know they have moved to the right place.
At almost the same time as the Coles moving to Idaho, Leah Dean, who was on the other end of the political spectrum, chose to leave her hometown in the narrow strip of Texas and move to Denver, Colorado.
Dean supports abortion rights and LGBTQ+. However, in Republican controlled Texas, she dared not post banners supporting abortion rights at her doorstep. After moving to Denver with her partner, she finally had the freedom to display a banner at her doorstep that read "Allowing abortion is a community responsibility.".
"What we are really looking for is a place where we can feel comfortable and comfortable, and be ourselves," Dean said.
Lifestyle is no longer the first choice
The Cole couple, Dean, and their partners move together, but they are heading towards a different foreign land. And they are just droplets in the current wave of mobile population in the United States, reflecting the bizarre reality of division in American society.
In the past, when Americans moved, politics was not the main factor to consider, but rather lifestyle choices.
"Democrats want to live in a place with an artistic and cultural atmosphere and a handmade brewery, while Republicans want to move to a place with a big yard," said Ryan Strickler, a political scientist at Colorado State University Pueblo.
However, with the increasing polarization of American politics, the situation has changed.
Brett Weinstein, the owner of a real estate company in Denver, said that politics has become the top priority for people when buying a house.
Weinstein said that three years ago, when talking to homebuyers for the first time, they never touched on politics, but now it's different. Many people who moved to Colorado told him that they wanted to escape the Red State. Similarly, homeowners who sell houses and leave Colorado have expressed that they can no longer tolerate Colorado becoming increasingly blue.
Weinstein added that even if they come to Colorado, homebuyers will still choose their homes based on political factors. For example, some people may avoid relatively conservative areas.
"Nowadays, with the rise of politics, people tend to choose a place with like-minded people when moving," said Aaron Frisson.
After the outbreak of COVID-19, Aaron and his wife Kelly moved to Boise, Idaho. The vast sky, continuous mountains, and more outdoor activities here attract them. But in addition, they are also satisfied with the more relaxed epidemic prevention policies and restrictions on abortion and gender reassignment surgery in the local area.
Interestingly, the so-called "political migration" has spawned new business opportunities. For example, a company called "Blue Line Relocation" provides services for families fleeing from Blue State to Florida. In Dallas, Texas, a real estate agent runs the Rainbow Underground Railroad to help LGBTQ+families move out of the area.
Turn left, turn right
In the view of the Associated Press, in the context of intensified political polarization, conservatives are rushing to the red states, while liberals are rushing to the blue states. Political opposition is accelerating American alienation and leading to the highest degree of state division in modern history.
According to reports, currently, most states in the United States have one party controlling the entire state legislature, or at least one of its houses. This means that the political party in charge of the legislative body is capable of overturning the governor's veto, if the two belong to different parties. However, this situation does not happen frequently at present, as only 10 state governors and political parties controlling state legislatures do not belong to the same party.
The states are politically either left-wing or right-wing, dividing each other, and Colorado and Idaho represent the two poles of this trend.
Both states are located in the Rocky Mountains region, with fast development and very similar lifestyles - people's topics generally revolve around ski resorts, mountain bike paths, and how outsiders are squeezing local resources.
But politically, the two states are increasingly moving towards two vastly different worlds.
Since the late 1990s, wealthy and educated individuals have flocked to Colorado, driving its rapid development over the past 20 years and making it one of the fastest-growing states in the United States.
However, during this process, the state of Kozhou is also constantly turning blue. Especially during the Trump era, there was a sharp left turn. At present, the Democratic Party has taken control of all office buildings in the state and holds the largest number of seats in the legislative body in history.
In contrast, Idaho has also developed rapidly in the past decade, but has not lost its reputation as a conservative haven and has become a beacon for people like the Coles who hope to escape Blue State.
The most obvious contrast is that the two states have enacted completely opposite laws on some hot issues.
For example, in Idaho, as long as the fetal heartbeat is detected, abortion is not allowed, otherwise it is illegal. A new law passed this year also makes it illegal to assist minors in having abortions outside of the state. In Colorado, state law prohibits any restrictions on abortion.
For example, Idaho has introduced a new law prohibiting gender reassignment surgery for minors. However, Colorado allows teenagers from other states to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Federalism leads to division?
Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once said that federalism makes states "democratic laboratories".
Federalism has always been regarded as the core of the American system, as it allows states to formulate their own paths within the limits prescribed by Congress and the Constitution.
However, some people are now questioning whether it is the federal system itself that causes American division?
"Political divisions are already so severe, can this approach still work? Will it become a catalyst for re isolating people?" asked former Republican Congressman Rob Vettel of Colorado.
In addition, political scientist Sad Kuser from the University of California, San Diego believes that this system is like a safety valve, which can make the majority of a state feel in power regardless of what happens in Washington D.C., but make the local minority feel mistreated.
On July 4th, three years later, the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary, and preparations have already begun.
In a eerie environment where even moving, shopping, and drinking can get involved in political struggles, American media has made a beautiful wish: after entering the countdown to its 250th anniversary, they hope to use this historic commemoration to unify this divided country. But can it be as desired? Only time can give the answer.
