Buffy: Cordelia, your mouth is open, sound is coming from it. This is never good.
Hank Summers: At least when she was burning stuff down, I knew what to say.
Xander: Are we overlooking the possibility that she may be very attracted to me? ... She's possessed.
Chosen answer: "So goes the nation" seems to have been used on many occasions, with various different US states in the "As .... goes" section. Most commonly it seems to be California that's considered to lead the way, but probably most other states have appeared in the lead role at some point or another. Other things have also been used - no less a person that Pope John Paul II said "As the family goes, so goes the nation...". The origin of the quote format is unclear - in US politics it goes back into the 19th century, when it was Maine that held the title spot, but, while no definitive origin is known, it seems highly likely that it goes back considerably further than that.
Tailkinker ★