LAT: Half of Republicans say California isn't really American

[DBoon]

California’s national reputation as a place of dreams and prosperity is in jeopardy, battered by Republicans who dislike almost all aspects of the state and many Democrats who see it as too costly and a poor place to raise a family.

Nationwide, 50% of U.S. adults believe the state is in decline, according to a new survey for the Los Angeles Times.

Political polarization has intensified the negativity: 48% of Republicans believe the state is “not really American,” the survey found. Three in 10 Republicans say the home of Yosemite’s sheer peaks, Sequoia’s towering redwoods and Malibu’s beaches has a worse natural environment than other states.

Nearly 40% of Republicans don’t even think California is a good place to visit, though a majority in both parties say they have been to the state, according to the survey of 1,004 adults, conducted Jan. 26-28 by Leger, a Canadian firm that has polled extensively in the United States.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-02-13/golden-state-loses-luster-half-of-americans-say-california-in-decline

So now I can visit Joshua Tree and not have to associate with republicans. That's a win-win.

On Edit: the survey indicates that California residents have a much more positive view of our state, as do younger people nation-wide

[The Unmitigated Gall]

1. Plenty of pukes live here.

Enjoying our liberal society while bad-mouthing it at the same time.

[SarahD]

2. Sorry, not Joshua Tree.

All our public lands are infested with freepers, preppers, dirt bikers, and so on, and so on. Last time I was there, I saw a mere handful of tent campers, rock climbers and other non motorized people.

[RockRaven]

3. There are more Californians than registered Repugs in the entire USA.

Current registered Repugs: just under 36M
Current population of California: just over 39M

What is "American" is whatever Americans are. So between Californians and Repugs, if anyone "isn't really American" it is Republicans.

[ColinC]

4. Read between the lines. What they are trying to actually say is that THEY are not American.

How could they be if they live in a place that is not America?

[IcyPeas]

5. The way I interpret this is ... Repubs are afraid of Newsom

No paywall.

https://archive.is/gQQ9Q

Six in 10 adults nationwide think the state is a trendsetter and that it has had a positive impact on the country. The share who see California as a trendsetter rises to 7 in 10 among those ages 18-34. A similar share of younger Americans also says that California’s impact on the U.S. has been positive.
Younger people were also twice as likely (43%) to say they would consider moving to the state as are other Americans. Job opportunity was the top reason they cited (36%).
...
The public pounding by Fox News and conservative social media has helped drive negative views of the state on issues such as safety: Three-quarters of Republicans say they think the state is unsafe, despite recent improvements in crime statistics in Los Angeles and other major cities. In 2022, the most recent year for which the FBI has released state-by-state data, California’s reported rate of violent crime was above the national average, but similar to the rates in states as disparate as Colorado, South Carolina and Missouri.

[Polly Hennessey]

6. Thankfully, I live in California. I love my home state.

I suppose those that are not happy with California are free not to visit or move somewhere far away.

[awesomerwb1]

7. The hate people have against CA

is driven by fox news. I am currently in T.x.s and I have friends I occasionally get together with for 'thirsty Thursdays". We try to avoid politics but there's always someone who'll make a comment that will trigger other comments for short periods of time.

Anyways, they hate California. They hate it with a passion. "The homeless are everywhere", "there are used syringes on the sidewalks", "there's shit on the streets", "the taxes are incredibly high" are some of the comments they like to regurgitate.

I moved here from SoCal and I miss it every day.

[kysrsoze]

8. They're just jealous and don't want to admit we got it right.

#4 economy in the world on our own... and they hate knowing that. Fuck them.

[NNadir]

9. I loved California in my time there, but frankly...

...I'd never go back to live there.

[Tikki]

10. We love our 50+ years of living in California..sometimes we have wondered what raising our family might..

have been like in the Bay Area or San Diego or even Santa Barbara…but never any other place but California.

The Tikkis