New Republican Headquarters: How Serious Can They Be Without a Sign?

The Grand Opening of The Villages Republican Headquarters was celebrated at 3pm on Saturday, July 9, 2016.   A lively crowd of over 100 crammed the roughly 2,000 square foot store front on Canal Street at Sumter Landing, next to the Hallmark store, two doors down from Toojays.

Most if not all of the Republican candidates running for office in Sumter County and beyond were represented, including a table for Donald Trump.

A number of speakers, including Sumter County Commissioner Don Hanfeldt and The Villages spokesman Gary Lester declared how important this election really is – perhaps a turning point toward the destruction of our nation if Hillary is elected.  An epic election – “the most critical in our lifetime” as one speaker warned.

Yet there was one stark omission that no one seemed to care about.  If the efforts of the Republic Party are so existentially critical this go ‘round, why do the lessors and lessees of this facility “for the Republican cause” not have a normal decent, visible sign out front?  Does Gary Lester care there is no sign?  Does anyone else care that we aren’t doing all we can do to win the next election?

I asked the man in charge of the facility if he plans to have a sign put up.  He answered in a rather off-handed way, “there will be signs in the windows, people will see it.”  I asked if there will be a normal sign, like any business occupying this space would have.  He said “no, it’s not allowed.”   I asked “not allowed by whom.  He said “The Villages.”

So I guess this election isn’t such a big deal after all – not important enough to have a decent sign posted in The Villages Republican Headquarters.  Is it that “the Party” doesn’t want to pay for the sign, or is it really The Villages who will not allow one, I don’t know.   Either way, this whole experience may be just another circus act, and not one important enough to have a visible sign in the space designated for one.

Sure, there will be window signs that are too small to see from the street.  Sure, there is a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk, blocked from street view by cars parked in front.  But no sign where any business would be allowed to have it.
Not important enough for a sign in the blank space?

The Republican Party seems to still not care to be run like a business which would certainly fight for decent signage.  Or is the developer of The Villages the one prohibiting a sign that any business would be allowed to have?

A sign isn’t the be all and end all of winning an election.  But the lack thereof represents a loser’s mindset of not caring all that much about the little but important details, when added together, may make a difference.

The message given by this omission:  Maybe this election isn’t that important after all.