The authors find solace in members of the diaspora continuing to vote Democrat in their new locations, causing places like Florida and North Carolina to become purple instead of reliably red as they otherwise would be. However, they're forced to admit:
The movement of blue-staters into Texas, Utah and Idaho hasn’t helped Democrats as much, in part because many of the migrants are more conservative voters, such as whites from Southern California. Texas and the interior West have also drawn more red-state migrants than states where Democrats have recently won.More important, the authors do not deal with why people are leaving blue states. At COTTonLINE we argue that much of this movement is to escape blue state high taxes and economic stagnation. If New Yorkers, and other such take their voting habits with them and flip their new states' policies, they'll end up with the same high taxes in their new homes.
I'll finish with a fondly remembered slogan formerly taped to a wall in the local county clerk's office. It said:
We don't care how they did it where you came from.Only 40% of Wyoming residents were born here. I'm certain the office staff meant every word on that sign.
