"Part of what we've tried to get out to the rest of the country is... there's hundreds of thousands of people trapped in a state essentially against our will."
--Matt McCaw, Executive Director of Greater Idaho
What happens when a state’s legislature becomes dominated by a supermajority of partisans so hardened by ideology that they utterly refuse to represent entire swaths of their own population? And what can the folks shut out of their state’s policymaking process do about it?
That’s exactly what I got to discuss with Matt McCaw, a lifelong resident of Eastern Oregon and the Executive Director of Greater Idaho.
In this conversation, Matt shares the heart behind the Greater Idaho movement: freeing Eastern Oregon from a state that refuses to represent them. He breaks down how the corrupt process to set Oregon’s current border is still haunting the state 167 years later. We also examine how ideologically-captured political organizations are using rural taxpayers’ own dollars against them by campaigning in opposition to their efforts.
This isn’t just about Oregon. Similar grassroots efforts are sprouting across Illinois, California, Virginia, and beyond, as rural voters across the country rise up to challenge urban political monopolies who have systematically violated their Constitutional rights to freedom of association and equal representation. As these movements grow, Matt shares wisdom and practical next steps for communities seeking to protect those rights. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone frustrated by the disconnect between local communities and distant political monopolies.
One of the reasons I launched this Substack is because the particular forms of groupthink and tribalism that currently dominate our political culture are dangerous. The illiberal tendencies shared by America’s most dogged partisans are not only toxic to our relationships and public policymaking— they are a direct attack on our ability to peacefully coexist. When activists and politicians monopolize political power and use it to cancel, deplatform, and gerrymander away citizens’ ability to make their voices heard, they eliminate peaceful means for people to defend their rights to life, liberty, and property. I’m so grateful to the folks at Greater Idaho for their creative efforts to peacefully break away from one such political monopoly, and look forward to digging deeper into similar campaigns around the country!
You might also like:
"Social justice" versus survival: The fatal risks of groupthink on the streets
Oregon progressives' ideological stranglehold isn't just a problem for rural Oregonians -- it's literally killing people on the streets of Portland. Longtime social worker and investigative journalist Kevin Dahlgren exposes the cost of groupthink for people living with addiction and serious mental health struggles.
Relevant reads:
A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell
Intellectuals and Society, also by Thomas Sowell
San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities by Michael Shellenberger
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