Tempers are flaring, swear words are being tossed about and name-calling appears to have become the norm.
Welcome to the 2020 presidential election, where with nine months to go, it appears that many people across the country have completely lost their minds. People appear to be either for President Trump or they abhor him. The same goes for Democrats Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and most of the others vying for the nomination.
Unfortunately, that high level of consternation also exists here in The Villages, where the upcoming election has created a nasty division among friends, families and neighbors. Pop out a political sign and it’s just a matter of time before you get called a nasty name or greeted with a middle finger. And don’t think that threats aren’t a possibility, either.
Case in point: Village of Hadley resident Ed McGinty is a Democrat who can’t stand President Trump. In fact, he refers to him as a “filthy pig,” among other names and slogans that are emblazoned on signs attached to his golf cart.
McGinty spends about an hour or so a day parked somewhere in The Villages with his signs on display that read “Trump Is A Sexual Predator,” “Trump Filthy Pig,” “Trump Compulsive Liar,” “Trump Bigot and Racist” and “Hitler And Trump Exactly Same DNA.”
Last week, McGinty opened his front door and found a threatening note waiting for him that read: “Be very careful if the well being of your family is of importance.”
McGinty reported the threat to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office – and then headed out for his daily protest, this time in the grassy area near Odell Circle in front of Havana Country Club.
“The people that threatened my family, they don’t scare me,” he said. “They just embolden me.”
Shortly after 3:30 p.m., Villager Marsha Hill stopped her golf cart behind McGinty’s cart and started videoing him and his signs while asking questions about his political stance. A short time later, the discussion heated up and McGinty came out of his golf cart as the two went back and forth.
“He called me a pig!” Hill screamed seconds later. “He called me a pig for no reason because I asked him why he thought the president was a sexual predator.”
Hill said she was driving to her Village of Amelia home when she spotted McGinty and felt the need to confront him.
“That’s blasphemy,” she said of McGinty’s signs about Trump. “This guy should be arrested. You can’t say that about the president with no proof.”
Before heading home for the day, McGinty saw plenty of middle fingers, was called a (expletive deleted) idiot and had a smiling FedEx truck driver yell something nasty at him. And a man on foot stopped by to demand that President Obama be impeached.
Unfortunately, these kinds of exchanges between Villagers appear to be the norm. Villagers for Trump stages flag-waving events and golf cart rallies on a regular basis and members constantly see inappropriate hand gestures and hear nasty words being tossed their way. Sure, they also hear plenty of horn honks and cheers for the president. But the nastiness directed at them at times borders on crazy.
One of the most outrageous examples of political divisiveness took place in early November when Villages Democrats ran head-on into Villages Republicans when they staged a golf cart caravan to Congressman Daniel Webster’s office to share their thoughts on his vote against impeaching the president. We’re not pointing fingers either way here, but to say things got quite ugly and out of hand at times would be a huge understatement.
For instance, one woman in a golf cart sporting a sign that read “Civility, be nice” was seen screaming at the pro-Trump contingent. Another woman in a golf cart rode by with her middle finger on full display. And some of those shouting at the Democrats were yelling things like “Stalin’s men,” “baby killers” and “communists.”
There has, however, been one shining example of folks with different mindsets getting together in a room and peacefully sharing their views. That happened during a recent spirited-but-cordial debate at the Savannah Center centered on the impeachment of the president.
Villagers for Trump Founder David Gee – a big proponent of the civil debate – argued for Trump’s acquittal, while Democrat Bill Sayers, a retired attorney, pushed for conviction. The event was sponsored by the Freethinkers Club of The Villages and it clearly showed that people with differing views can come together and talk politics without name-calling, swear words or threats.
While we don’t believe that anyone attending the debate changed their mind about Trump’s desired fate, we commend everyone who was involved in that effort. It was peaceful, professional and handled the way politics should be conducted. After all, isn’t one of the greatest things about this country the fact that we can all share our views and agree to disagree?
As we said earlier, the election is nine months away. With it appearing that Trump will be acquitted in the coming days and the impeachment proceedings will be over, we can only imagine the hate and rhetoric we’re all bound to hear from some folks on both sides of the fence.
While we’re fearful of what’s to come, we certainly hope that won’t be the case. We are all adults here in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown – successful people who have worked hard their entire lives to enjoy their best years here. And while we all have the right to share our views – another great thing about the country we call home – there’s simply no need to do it in a nasty way.
So, here’s to peaceful politics going forward. Let’s never hesitate to speak our minds and agree to disagree. But let’s think twice before the name-calling starts and the middle fingers fly up. It’s beyond ridiculous and Villagers are just much better than that.