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March 28, 2024

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In Our View: Secession Obsession

Notion of states leaving Trump-led union is understandable — but unreasonable

The Columbian
Published: November 17, 2016, 6:03am

It’s tempting. For many Washingtonians, it is tempting to envision the state living out the plot of a romantic comedy.

You know, like one where you are disgruntled with your beloved, convinced they have dramatically changed since you first were attracted to them — and the cutie across the way gives you a wink and a come-hither look. So you begin to imagine the possibilities and begin preparing an “it’s not you, it’s me” speech before eventually realizing that you already have found your one true love and you go on to live happily ever after.

While that might not sound like an Oscar winner, it is the storyline playing out in Washington — and also in Oregon and California — in the wake of last week’s presidential election. Those states favored Hillary Clinton for president, and more than a few people are apoplectic over the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency. Formal petitions have been filed in Oregon and California seeking secession from the union (Oregon’s has since been withdrawn), and there has been some talk in Washington about a similar effort.

While we can understand frustration over the election, a word of warning is necessary: The last time states tried to secede from the United States, um, it didn’t go so well.

Meanwhile, the West Coast states are being courted by Canada. Well, at least by one Canadian on Twitter, so we can’t be sure if it counted as an official invitation when he wrote, “Dear California, Oregon, Washington — I’m sure we can work something out if you want to join Canada.” Wink, wink, nod, nod.

Then there have been suggestions that Washington, Oregon and California can form their own country. In terms of critical mass, this is doable. The three states combined for a Gross Domestic Product of $3.1 trillion in 2015, which would make for the world’s fifth-largest economy, ranking between Germany and the United Kingdom. In terms of population, there are about 50 million people, which would make it the 28th-largest on the globe.

On the other hand, we would have to build a wall to keep out undesirables.

What to do, what to do? The answer is simple. Because while we are considering these prospects in jest, the idea serves as an opportunity to examine our national divide and to reinforce an immutable truth: The people and the states that make up this union are inextricably reliant upon each other. Washington would not benefit from having a tariff on apples sent to Idaho, or soybeans sent to Utah, or airplanes purchased by United Airlines. Washingtonians would not benefit from needing a passport to visit relatives in St. Louis.

In addition, no states are as homogeneous as the Electoral College system would have us believe. In Washington, Clinton captured the state’s 12 electoral votes by winning about 55 percent of the popular vote, and Trump received about 38 percent. Those numbers indicate that there is a whole lot of purple in this blue state, and that means the more logical course of action would be to learn how to get along with our neighbors and with other states instead of embracing isolationism. In truth, our political parties are not that far apart on the spectrum, even if a presidential election tends to highlight the differences.

Like it or not, we’re all in this together, and the guess is that the nation will survive the next four years of Donald Trump. That includes Washington, Oregon and California, even if there is a temptation to slide up next to Canada and say, “How you doin’?”

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