As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of RedState, my thoughts turn to the incredible impact the site has had for so many as we yearn for a true voice in these frankly insane times.

I’ve lived for almost 30 years in the bluest state in the nation, California, and I’ve raised my four kids here in this former paradise. I have a mostly liberal extended family and am surrounded by mostly liberal friends. And yet, in 2022, I was honored to be asked by Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar to write for RedState after she’d seen a passionate op-ed I’d written about the nightmare scenario unfolding in the Golden State for children and young people at the time.

The opportunity was an utter blessing, as Democrats' Soviet-style COVID policies destroyed my business and sent my children into chaos, cut off from work, school, and friends. I desperately wanted a chance to speak out, and RedState gave me the opening to do it.

But has it been easy? In a word, no.

Yes, I’ve lost friends, as I suspect others of you have, and I’ve been shunned by some family members. One reportedly called me a “traitor,” another won’t speak to me. None of them read my articles or actually delve into what I have to say—they just know that I’m on the dreaded "Other Side." That’s all they need to know to make their judgment because most "tolerant" minds are anything but.

Once, back in the day, when I was outed at a large family event, a relative started bawling. "Bob, how could you?!" she cried. My sin? Saying that I thought George W. Bush was a stronger candidate than Al Bore Gore.

Now, I love my family and my friends, and they are not monsters, but for those of you who live in red states, you might not be familiar with the reality that so many urban Democrats appear to have been utterly brainwashed. They see the homeless on the streets, they see inflation skyrocketing, they see American life deteriorating in front of their faces, yet all too many of them say, “But I simply can’t vote Republican.” It’s frankly inexplicable to me.

I had lunch with a longtime buddy the other day who said, "I agree with you that what's going on is unacceptable. But I simply can't vote for the Orange Mussolini." I kid you not. That's how far gone so many of them are—they'd rather see our country go down in flames than admit they've been wrong all these years. 

Why would I do this in the face of such blowback? Am I super brave, a confident warrior unaffected by the ramifications? Not so much.

In retrospect, I wish I’d spoken out more strongly, earlier. I was a businessman raising kids in Los Angeles—I mostly kept my opinions to myself. If people asked me, I would tell them my thoughts, but I certainly did not go out of my way to speak up. I had some interactions with Hollywood, and if you’re not woke with that crowd, you’re quickly canceled, so your best bet is to shut the hell up. Meanwhile, as the schools started their path toward focusing almost exclusively on DEI, gender wars, and racism, many of us parents were reluctant to speak out—because while I could take any heat, I desperately wanted to protect my kids.

Every time I write about California, I get tons of comments saying, “You deserve it, you commie bastards!” But we don’t. What was once the epitome of the American dream has been taken over by crazed leftists. And we can’t let that happen to the country as a whole.

I give all the credit to my wife, Roxanne, a fierce warrior who refused to stay silent and who spoke out forcefully on talk radio, Prager U, and other forums, and even ran for office. She’s now a semi-regular guest on Fox News. We held “little bird” parties for closeted conservative parents where cameras were not allowed—because people’s careers can be ruined instantaneously in this town for liking the wrong tweet—and it was then that we realized we were far from alone. I knew I could no longer stay quiet.

During the dark days of COVID, I would turn to RedState for sanity, and I would eagerly gobble up articles by Bonchie, Sister Toldjah, and Nick Arama. We have tons of immensely talented writers, and I can’t name them all here, but they helped me through some extremely tough times—by speaking the truth.

Am I regretful that I’ve embarked on this path, and have paid some painful personal costs along the way? Not even sort of. First of all, it’s a dream to be working alongside the acclaimed aforementioned writers, but also with Susie Moore, Jeff Charles, Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, Alex Parker, Mike Miller, Ward Clark, Jennifer Van Laar, Brandon Morse, Becca Lower, the inimitable Streiff, the esteemed Andrew Malcolm, brilliant cartoonist Jim Thompson, and many others. Some days I pinch myself and think, am I in a dream?

Second, I’ve been able to do so many exciting things—instead of sitting in my man cave throwing shoes at my TV, this job has allowed me to see Tucker Carlson live, to experience the magic of a Donald Trump speech, to see Kristi Noem, Tulsi Gabbard, Ted Cruz, and Glenn Youngkin and others live and in person.

Perhaps my favorite experience, however, was covering the 20^th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s death for RedState at the Reagan Library. All those years ago, the Gipper shaped my worldview and my understanding of America's excellence, all that it was—and all that it could still be. I felt I was on hallowed ground.

He was the anti-Biden.

"Reagan was a national treasure, and if this country is going to bounce back from the many problems we’re facing, we’re going to need a commander-in-chief like him..."

Thanks @Reagan_Library & @RonaldReagan for an incredible day celebrating the Gipper! https://t.co/TEHcZ4HHGX

— Bob Hoge (@Bob_Hoge_CA) June 6, 2024

It was an incredible day, and it’s been an incredible ride, and I thank RedState, Van Laar and Salem Media for the opportunity. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my journey, it’s that we cannot afford to be silent (for all of you who have been loud and proud all along, I applaud you). Everyone must speak up, and speak loudly: progressive politics are an utter failure, and the likes of Joe Biden, CA Gov. Gavin Newsom, criminal-loving financier George Soros, and anti-American activists like Attorney General Merrick Garland must be utterly repudiated and sent packing.

Yes, RedState is a lively and fun site full of today’s coming-and-goings, but it’s more than that. It brings people hope during a time when we’re so often lied to by our politicians and our legacy media. The writing here gave me faith when I was starting to lose it, and I pray that it’s doing that for you too. I feel blessed to be a part of it.

You, too, can speak out, and where you can do that is at the place that I think is one of RedState’s strongest points—our comments section. Instead of being filled with venom and hate, it’s mostly carried by folks who care deeply and know what they’re talking about. In fact, several of our writers got their start by posting their thoughts.

Fight back. Take a stand. Let your voice be heard. Our country has been taken over by rabid ideologues, and now is the time to take it back.

Happy Birthday, RedState. You’ve been a beacon of light throughout.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: We're so grateful for our loyal readers, who've made reaching this milestone possible. We continue to fight censorship and throttling from Big Tech, and the only way we're able to continue bringing the honest, fearless journalism you've come to expect is through the direct support of our VIP members. If you're not already a VIP member, when you join today you'll receive 60% off with discount code RS20.)