On November 8th, 2016 America elected Donald J. Trump as the next president for the United States. Although Trump lost the popular vote, he managed to win the electoral vote (279 Trump -228 Hilary). Along with this final result came the disappointment and anger of many Americans.
After Trump was elected as America's next president, the idea of the succession of California from the Union arose. A movement for the "#calexit" began. The real question now became "Is it possible for California to succeed?"
David A. Carrillo, Executive Director of the California Constitution Center at the University of California, Berkeley Law stated that in order for California to succeed there must be a "legal basis". What this means is that, there is a special process in the constitution for the union to add a state or break away from the state. In other words succession from a state must go through congress first. According to Carrillo, there is currently, "no legal basis for a state to secede from the union."
An ABC10 article writes, "California's own Constitution (A3s1) states that, "The State of California is an inseparable part of the United States of America, and the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land."" Therefore, it is highly unlikely that California succeeds from the Union.
It is also mentioned that there has been attempts of states trying to succeed. According to ABC's article, the succession of these states from the Union did not end up in a positive manner. Carrillo states, " 'It's extremely unlikely California could secede, legally or otherwise." he said. "A group of states tried that once. It ended very badly for them."
Source: http://www.abc10.com/news/local/california/calexit-is-it-possible-for-california-to-secede-from-us/350450504
Great job! This post is not only extremely relevant but also well-researched on a topic that affects our world today. While California may not be able to secede, I think it's important to consider what we can do in these times where we obviously did not get the election result we were so fervently hoping for. I think it's important to consider looking at how we can influence state and local policy over the next few years as action, important action to be specific, can be influenced at both these levels. For instance, if a President Trump looks to abolish the Affordable Care Act, we can possibly instill a version of that on the state level. On the local level, we can continue to ensure that our education and the economic vibrancy of businesses in our area are protected. So, while we may not be able to leave a union under Trump, we can make sure our state avoids the perils the election may bring.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very good post. In the shocking aftermath of the election, people always get emotional and turn to radical actions in order to cope with what happened. In the long run, it does not seem beneficial for California to secede as they would basically have to become a fully independent nation-state. The thing is, the whole process of becoming independent would probably take more than four years, with that signaling the end of the President's term. After then, it will be time to vote on a new president if the incumbent does not do well, or keep him if he is not as bad as others say. Overall, it definitely does not look like secession will happen unless California can get other states to join in their cause.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree with your idea on how it would not be beneficial. California makes up a surpassingly large fraction of the United States economy. If California did secede, it would become the 5th largest economical power on the planet. In terms of self sustaining the possible country of California there would be no issues and it would not require other states to join. A lot of people within Cali feel that they should not have to deal with the problems happening hundreds of thousands of miles away on the other coast. In my opinion secession is only a matter of time as long as California continues to widen an economic and political gap between itself and the remaining states.
DeleteI agree with Alex's idea, but particularly for a few points. Californian secession can go down one of two paths: peaceful (the more likely) and unilateral (the less likely). A peaceful secession of California would probably not only take more than four years to negotiate (as Alex pointed out), but would also require the consent of the United States Government (and the individual states). Particularly as you said Yoel, California makes up a huge part of the United States economy, and it is hard to imagine widespread support for secession within the Union. If California favored unilateral secession from the Union, it is clear that it would be easily defeated by the much superior U.S. military stationed outside of its borders. As we saw with the civil war, a state choosing to secede without the consent of the Union does not end well, and will likely result in a federal putting-down of the "rebellion". Thus, even if an independent California could sustain itself, there is no reasonable path to secession.
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