Joe Rogan praised Austin as “one of the most liberal, easy-going” cities during a Tuesday episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” with one caveat: He likes it here only as long as it stays within Texas’ broader conservative political ecosystem.
“There’s a saying about Austin, ‘Keep Austin Weird and surrounded,’ surrounded by red people. It’s all red states around you, and this pocket of blue that is in the center of this red state,” Rogan said.
“I think that that’s good for everybody. It’s a balance,” he said. “The liberals who want to turn Texas blue, don’t, you’re going to ruin it.”
The Austin-based podcaster discussed misconceptions about Austin’s political demographics during a nearly 3-hour conversation with conservative author Forrest Galante.
Rogan argued that coastal “snobs” think Texas is filled with rednecks, ignorant and foolish people, and he pushed back on that notion.
“It is not that way at all, especially in Austin. Austin is like one of the most liberal, easy-going, progressive cities,” he said. “Even the progressives here are more reasonable.”
Rogan described politically left-leaning people who live in Austin as “way less crazy” than in Los Angeles or New York, agreeing when Galante asked whether they were more “down to earth.”
Rogan said those same people were “definitely more crazy” than when he first started coming to Austin two decades ago, but again emphasized that the political balance.
“It’s a liberal city surrounded by hardcore Republicans with guns and tigers,” Rogan said. “It works. It makes for nice people. It’s a good mix.”
This article originally published at Joe Rogan says he loves living in ‘liberal’ Austin – as long as the rest of Texas stays red.