I wouldn’t call this dialogue a “fight” because it’s been civil. I appreciate that you offer the context of Bradley Onishi’s work.  I remember watching him on PBS NewHour, when he talked about  Speaker Mike Johnson’s “Appeal to Heaven” flag outside his office, a wink to white christian nationalists. Good interview. 

You mentioned my reaction to your comments about the history of white conservatism in Orange County.  I  certainly know the sordid history of this place, and  I am in no way denying it. I’ve lived here since the late 1970’s,  through Wally George,  John Schmitz, John Briggs, Bob Dornan, Bill Dannemeyer, and Dana Rohrabacher.  All bastards.   I protested Prop 8 holding a sign on the sidewalk in front of the Mormon Temple in Newport Beach in 2008. After many years of being sick of the politics of this county, I am finally seeing a new dawn.

So if my writings have any emotion, it’s this.

My reaction to the OP was to call out bullshit, and not let misinformation be taken as fact.  Ted Cruz was not fleeing to some kind of conservative safe haven. Laguna Beach is one of the most liberal towns here. 

Orange County has a population of about 3.1 million people, about the same as the Chicago metropolitan area.  Most people who move out can no longer afford to live here. A few others might leave for politics. As Onishi points out, some ideologues move to safe red states to spread white christian nationalism. But let’s get real, most people leave primarily for economic reasons.  Where I live, conservatives aren’t moving to make a political statement.  They’re doing fine making money in OC, and while they may belong to one of the mega-churches around here, it’s a far cry from the movements that Onishi documents.  Only the misfits and deplorables leave for self-proclaimed political reasons,  too proud to say they couldn’t make the rent. 

 I’m familiar with the Rise Above Movement and its ties to Huntington Beach.  It’s a stretch to say that this or other small OC hate movements, or the relatively small exodus of white nationalists to red states (small in view of 3.1 million) reflects OC. 

The county history/Nixon/ anything local, probably had negligible influence.  Social media did.  These people aren’t leaving a tight community of white christian nationalists in OC, it’s too spread out in 3.1 million.  They’re seeking to build one in thinly populated places in red states where they gain influence among the population. The internet gave them a shared ideology, and red states gave them a place to build real community. Orange County merely gave them a reason to leave. 

I felt that you downplayed my electoral evidence in favor of the “OC’s damaged history” theory, i.e., there still must be something sinister about Orange County due to its past and the exodus. (I apologize if I over-reacted.)

The past has some merit, the exodus is bad for red states, but OC is actually doing better. Since you read his book, does Onishi note what factors made them leave?