Economic Growth Happening Mainly in Red States

ABC reported that almost all the strong economic growth in the country is happening in the Red states, proving to them that warm weather causes economic growth. 

At least that is the explanation that they are going with. 

That, and Democratic mayors in Red states are attracting young liberal workers. So Texas is going gangbusters because people like hot weather and Democrats.

No, I am not kidding. They don’t even mention that Republicans run the states. They are Red states because Trump won. Republican governors and legislators apparently are irrelevant. 

Nearly every week, a fresh round of strong economic data elicits a celebratory statement from the Biden administration.

Most of the best-performing states, however, voted in favor of former Pres. Trump, a new @ABC News analysis found. https://t.co/W3PAO55dPU

— ABC News (@ABC) February 16, 2024

Nearly every week, a fresh round of strong economic data elicits a celebratory statement from the Biden administration. Most of the best-performing states, however, voted in favor of former President Donald Trump, a new ABC News analysis found.

An examination of key economic measures — including job and income growth — found an overwhelming majority of red states among 18 top performers.

The disparity between red and blue states has little to do with anything Biden has done, experts interviewed by ABC News said, noting that federal policy typically holds minimal influence over state-by-state economic trends.

Instead, they added, the dynamic owes in large part to the appeal of warm weather states for workers and businesses, as well as the combination of company-friendly state policies and Democrat-leaning cities that attract young, educated workers.

You have GOT to be kidding me. Democrat mayors are driving economic growth. 

You do have to hand it to the MSM; they can look you in the eye and tell you the most absurd things and keep a straight face. Lying without shame is a skill, if not one that most of us would want to be taught to our children. 

“The climates are better in red states, and Americans like good climates,” Mark Partridge, a professor of economics at Ohio State University, told ABC News.

Apparently the people who built New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Saint Louis, and all the major industrial cities that used to dominate our economy were unaware of the benefits of warmer weather, or they would have built their industries in Memphis, Atlanta, and Dallas a century ago. 

The preference for lower taxes and warmer weather began in the 21st century. Specifically during Biden’s presidency, in fact. 

ABC managed to find a panel of “experts” who claimed that the real reason Red states were doing well was because young, educated liberals loved to live in their Democrat-run cities. It was the brilliant policies of Democrats who were driving the economic growth, although they did admit that business-friendly state policies may have had something to do with it. Who created those policies? 

Who knows? Coincidence. Maybe it is the Democrat mayors. 

The strong performance of red states may result from the convergence of business-friendly state laws and attractive cities for young, educated liberals, Edward Glaeser, a Harvard economist, told ABC News. The pool of skilled workers offers companies a ready source of employees, while companies benefit from state policies like low taxes and right-to-work laws, he added.

“That’s just a very powerful combination,” Glaeser said.

Young, educated liberals are the key to economic growth. God knows we need more DEI trainers to keep the economy moving smoothly. At least they mention right-to-work laws–a Biden favorite, if I recall–but never mention that business-friendly policies go together like berries and cream. 

Honestly, they don’t mention that the policies are Republican, and the Blue states are stagnating because they don’t have business-friendly policies. 

Given how important Democrat mayors are to prosperity, It’s quite surprising that Portland and San Francisco aren’t doing better. Those cities were considered Nirvana for young urban liberals for decades. What happened? They are no longer run by liberal mayors, perhaps. I should check when Republicans took over the formerly liberal big cities. 

I distinctly remember hearing that Chicago is MAGA country. Maybe Portland is, too, now. 

There is no mention of governors at all in this article–it was all about Biden, liberal mayors, and weather, with a glancing mention of business-friendly policies. But not one reference to governors or state lawmakers consciously making their states attractive to businesses and workers. 

ABC’s entire article is an attempt to argue that these states are growing gangbusters despite being Red states, not because of it. 

Texas was at the top of the list, but no mention of Abbott, state policies, or anything that might reflect well on Republicans. Instead, the story highlighted a San Antonio business and added this:

San Antonio, like most of the nation’s major cities, voted in favor of Biden in 2020. In fact, counties that Biden won account for roughly 70% of economic output nationwide, a Brookings Institution study in 2021 found.

See, it’s really liberals who are driving the economy, even if they don’t like living in liberal states. And no mention that people are fleeing from Blue states to Red. 

Economic growth all comes down to good weather and lots of liberals. Maybe we should send the liberals back north so they can revitalize the cities up there. 

The MSM and academia–this story features the best of both–have become parodies of themselves. To write a story explaining that Red states are where economic growth is happening without once mentioning that Red states are run by Republicans who made policies that matter. This is a remarkable achievement. 

They had to work hard to take Republican governance out of the equation, but they managed. 

Now you know what they teach in journalism schools–how to spin the facts in a manner that supports a narrative. Just find the right sources, ignore the most obvious conclusions, and trust that your liberal readers will walk away satisfied that no matter the reality, they are the smart ones.

Republicans are rubes. Thank God for Democrat mayors.