**Written by Doug Powers

CalExit effort, dasvidaniya!

The leader of California secession campaign has decided that he would like to live in Russia permanently, and is therefore abandoning his efforts to make the Golden State its own country.

In a lengthy statement Monday, Louis Marinelli, president of the separatist group Yes California, announced he was withdrawing his petition for a referendum on secession. Instead, he plans to apply to be a live permanently in Russia, where he currently resides.

“I have found in Russia a new happiness, a life without the albatross of frustration and resentment towards ones’ homeland, and a future detached from the partisan divisions and animosity that has thus far engulfed my entire adult life,” Marinelli wrote. “Consequently, if the people of Russia would be so kind as to welcome me here on a permanent basis, I intend to make Russia my new home.”
[…]
It’s a blow to Marinelli’s organization, which rose to prominence after President Trump’s win in November, when its proposal of a so-called “Calexit” carried at least some appeal for many of the state’s liberal voters. Organizers had until July of this year to collect more than half a million signatures to get the issue on the state ballot in 2018.

This is all just so ironic it’s hard to believe it’s not the troll job of the century:

The leader of the Calexit campaign, Louis Marinelli, just announced he’s settling in Russia permanently & withdrawing his ballot petition. pic.twitter.com/zHwtUjcm5p

— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) April 17, 2017

CalExit-supporting progressives will now have to somehow manage to try and turn the state into Russia while still dependent on the U.S. federal government for grants and aid, all while trying to insist Trump’s an illegitimate president because of Putin, who their founder might be might be riding horses with soon.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe