I claim credit for being one of the first posters on the net to suggest as much, many years ago.
I put it this way...
Ask yourself "the Ann Landers question", paraphrased:
"Would America be better off with California,
or... would we be better off withOUT it??"
(If California was to become an independent nation tomorrow, would the remaining 49 states comprise a more conservative nation, or one more leftist...?)