The biggest question of Election Day remains unanswered: who was the bigger winner, Donald Trump or U-Haul?
Trump’s win was decisive. But, with threats from some teary-eyed and feet-stomping liberals to move out of the country to avoid the coming Trump years, the real winners might just be packing suppliers and van renters.
Many have taken to social media to suggest they are considering such a move. This impulse is particularly prevalent among the glitterati. Sharon Stone is mulling a move to Italy. Barbra Streisand is considering England. Cher may go somewhere — anywhere other than the U.S. And it’s not just graying boomers. TikTok is teeming with videos of young people researching how to move to Australia or New Zealand.
In May, David Andelman, a journalist and contributor at CNN, wrote that he might move to France if Trump pulled a Grover Cleveland and won. France, a nation led by “President of the Rich” Emmanuel Macron, is under pressure from Trumpesque Marine Le Pen’s conservative party. I can appreciate a nice glass of Chardonnay and a walk through the Louvre as much as the next guy, but a move to France might not be the escape he is searching for.
Before you start checking airfare prices, let’s review some of the pitfalls of expatriation.
Throughout 2020 — before and after the presidential election — I attended graduate school in Wellington, New Zealand. It was an amazingly beautiful place to pursue a master’s degree and learn about another culture. I wasn’t unhappy with America, just keen to explore a new environment, temporarily.
Yet those exploring relocation to New Zealand might be interested to know that many of the problems observed in the U.S. were also present there. Yes, there was “free” health care provided by my temporary home, but that cost was subsidized by the high price of everything else. Some of my “Kiwi” friends and fellow students derided Trump and the purported racism in America, but racial and political tensions felt just as high there.
The temptation to move after experiencing postelection sadness isn’t new. The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg mentioned back in 2016 that she might move to New Zealand if Trump won. What she didn’t realize is that liberals there are just as angry and fighting so-called “white colonialism” on that island as they are on the island of Manhattan.
Producer and writer Tony Kahn favored a move to Mexico City. At least he could drive there — escape the freedoms of the U.S. and enjoy the corruption and poverty of Mexico City. This feels more like he’s looking to check-in at an “angry one-percenter” camp than to actually get away. Only someone unfamiliar with basic civics could feel so little confidence in the bedrock protections of our republic.
Only someone at the top of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs could be so ignorant of just how good they had it under Bush, Obama, and Biden. Or, now once again, under Trump. The real problem might be that those whiners seeking to escape think the path to the top of Maslow’s pyramid is paved by the government rather than by exercising the individual rights given to us by God.
In her concession speech, Harris spoke to young people saying it was okay to be sad and worried about the future. Setting aside that it was strange to only address such advice to the young, what she should have voiced was an apology for her own hyperbolic language that caused her supporters such angst and fear. Reckless rhetoric — such as calling Trump a “Hitler” and Republicans fascists — has a way of creating unrest.
What Harris should have articulated was that the underpinnings of our country are rock solid and aren’t threatened by a politician with whom you disagree.
What she should have voiced was that it’s okay to be mad about losing, but taking your ball and going to Wellington, Bordeaux, or Guadalajara isn’t the answer.
But I’m not here to convince you to stay.
Go.
Like the migratory exodus from California to places like Texas, mass migration to Canada, Mexico, France, or even New Zealand might actually be beneficial for the U.S.
But no comebacks. Make your decision and stick to it. One-way tickets only!
I’ll even help you pack. Toothbrush/toothpaste. Neck pillow. Your designer “tax the rich” sweatshirt you bought from AOC’s merch store for $58 — plus shipping.
Oh, and outlet converters for those three-prong plugs.
Enjoy the metric system! When you get to U-Haul, ask for the 60-centimeter box and the 7-meter box truck.
READ MORE:
It’s the End of the Obama Era in America. Good Riddance.
Trump Wins. Harris Loses, as Does the DC Establishment.
The post The Biggest Winner on Election Day? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.
