Who knew that Arkansas is a utopia where envious conservative Californians are flocking? A utopia where the economy is flourishing. A utopia where personal freedom abounds.

At least that’s the picture Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders painted for right-winger nutball Dan Bongino on his podcast earlier this week, Queerty reports.

“Our economy is strong. Our state is doing well. And you know what? We don’t let the government dictate every minute and every second of your life here in our state,” said the homophobic/transphobic/everythingphobic governor. “We believe not only in individual and personal freedom but in making sure we do things that protect those freedoms.”

This sounds so lovely. Too bad it’s all false.

Arkansas is, in fact, the fourth poorest state in the country, where affordable housing is becoming rarer and rarer and rapidly turning into a crisis. It’s also a state rife with food insecurity.

And when Huckabee Sanders talks about personal freedom, she’s really only referring to cisgender/hetero and Republican folks. Because Huckabee Sanders, spawn of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee Sanders has signed a fusillade of laws controlling people’s behavior. This includes everything from banning books and the gender-neutral term “Latinx,” and in true Orwellian fashion, to controlling what bathrooms trans and nonbinary people can use.

Oh, and she’s preventing teachers from talking about race, sexual orientation, or gender identity in the classroom.”

And amazingly, if Huckabee Sanders is to be believed at this point, she told Bongino “We have seen people from all over the country, blue states in particular, flooding into our state.”

She told Bongino that as she campaigned for governor she visited each of the state’s 75 counties, and in each county, she met people from out of state.

“Predominantly California,” she claimed. “And the message I gave them was very simple. Welcome to Arkansas. Don’t forget why you left California.”

Sanders also claimed that she’s “excited” to welcome more people into the state—as long as they are cisgender or hetero. She’d also prefer they be white, Christian, and Republican. In other words, as long as you’re a cookie cut from a right-wing cookie cutter.

She seems to think it’s all very simple and she told Bongino as she talked about the out-of-towners.

“Our door is open,” she said. “We’re going to keep taking them as long as they remember why they left those blue states in the first place.”

It’s lovely to think people in the blue states can breathe a sigh of relief as all the rednecks leave and make their way to Arkansas. I realize blue states like California aren’t perfect. I’m sure some books are being banned in some school districts and there’s racist and homophobic/transphobic nonsense to be had but places like this are not common in California.

I’m a native Californian who has lived all over the state and traveled reasonably widely. But undoubtedly the one place I loved the most in California is the northern Pacific Northwest. I mean, the city council in Arcata, just miles from where I lived, voted to impeach George W. Bush. Pretty amazing.

And there were big trees, the ocean, the barking of seals, and the scent of patchouli and redwoods.

It was far, far away from Arkansas.

Here’s Huckabee Sanders and her nonsense below.

In Arkansas, we do not let government loom larger than liberty in your life.

We believe in freedom — and in protecting it for every Arkansan. pic.twitter.com/zS8bXn0EZy

— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) May 5, 2023