CNBC’s Scott Cohn portrays himself on Twitter, not as some progressive commentator, but as simply a “journalist.” However, on Friday, Cohn released two articles: one on the top ten states to “live and work in” and one for the bottom ten. Despite all the migration out of blue states and into red states, Cohn’s top ten was exclusively blue, while his bottom ten was exclusively red.
Right away it was obvious that Cohn started with a predetermined conclusion that red states are terrible, defining liberal policies on social issues to be positive, “The study measures quality of life issues including crime, health care, childcare and health care, as well as inclusive policies on discrimination and reproductive rights.”
Of the worst ten (Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, Missouri, Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas), “reproductive rights” appears six times while “inclusiveness” appears eight times, and “voting rights” appears seven times. Here are some of what Cohn considers to be the lowlights of various red states:
- Florida: “Many companies consider DEI an economic imperative…rated strictly on Life, Health and Inclusion, the Sunshine State can be a dreary place"
- Tennessee: “Tennessee has enthusiastically passed laws targeting LGBTQ+ rights, even if it has meant crossing the bounds of constitutionality… But plenty of other laws have survived, like a transgender youth sports ban, and laws that provide religious exemptions allowing health care and child welfare professionals to deny service to transgender people.”
- Missouri: “The state became the first to enact a so-called “trigger law,” which went into effect moments after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.”
- Alabama: “It is also one of the most difficult states to vote in, with no in-person early voting and restrictions on voting by mail.
- Oklahoma: “The Sooner State’s 1910 abortion ban remains among the strictest in the nation, even after its state supreme court struck down some parts of it, like the provision that required a medical emergency to justify an abortion. The law makes performing an abortion a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, unless the procedure is necessary to preserve the mother’s life.”
- Texas: “The Lone Star State keeps hacking away at inclusiveness, with laws targeting the LGBTQ+ population, voting rights, and the nation’s strictest abortion ban.”
As for his top ten (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maine, Vermont), Cohn naturally takes the opposite approach.
- Massachusetts, “The Bay State is another health-care powerhouse, with the nation’s lowest percentage of people without health insurance. It is a legacy of Romneycare — the health-care reform signed into law by then-Governor Mitt Romney in 2006, which became a template for the Affordable Care Act. Worker protections are robust in Massachusetts, and so are reproductive rights.”
- Colorado: “Colorado is positioning itself as a haven for reproductive rights and gender-affirming care, with a set of laws signed by Gov. Jared Polis in April.”
- Washington: “Protections against discrimination in Washington are among the strongest of any state, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.”
- Oregon: “Reproductive rights protections are among the nation’s strongest as well. In 2000, Oregon became the first state to require all elections to be conducted by mail, making voting easy and secure.”
- Minnesota: “In 2023, the state codified reproductive rights and expanded voting rights.”
- New Jersey: “The Garden State is one of America’s most inclusive, with broad protections against discrimination, and among the nation’s strongest guarantees of reproductive freedom.”
Oregonians can’t even pump their own gas without causing a statewide crisis because of the infantilizing regulations in that state. Washington has the highest gas prices in the country. Colorado is hell-bent on persecuting a single baker for simply being a Christian. But Tennessee doesn’t want boys on girls’ sports teams, so, according to CNBC, they’re worse.
