A sign of the (political) times
Think about Idaho politics.
Do words like courtesy, politeness and goodwill come to mind?
Nah.
At the moment, gubernatorial candidates Raul Labrador and Tommy Ahlquist are busy calling each other liars and dangers to the future of the state.
If this were back in the days of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, Raul and Tommy would be dueling with pistols.
Plenty of other races have been filled with insults, as well — and for statewide and national offices, these are just the Republican primaries.
We’ve got plenty more months to sling some ugliness.
Given all the hot, angry and snarky rhetoric, you’d think supporters of various candidates would be getting at it over the back fence.
But no ...
In fact, residents of only three states are more tolerant of political yard signs than Idahoans, according to a nationwide survey conducted by ShieldCo, a leading signage and décor company.
Idaho checked in at 20 percent, meaning that four out of every five residents said they wouldn’t mind if the folks next door displayed a huge, colorful sign on behalf of a candidate who makes their skin crawl.
That’s impressive.
It suggests that Idahoans not only have open minds, but respect the electoral process.
The only states with even more statistical tolerance were Arkansas, West Virginia and Ohio.
You probably won’t find it shocking that Californians have the most problem with yard signs, with 49 percent of respondents admitting that political signage bothers them.
The overall national number, by the way, was 30.4 percent — so approximately one of every three Americans feels that signs are offensive.
Maybe some people simply think the signs are ugly, because 45.4 percent of respondents dismissed the ads with this phrase: “Yard signs don’t vote.”
Quick note: Does that mean 54.6 percent of people polled believe that yard signs DO vote?
One other interesting note: 59.2 percent of Americans are unaware that each state has different laws regarding yard signs.
I KNOW what you’re thinking.
All those signs, lined up down a few major streets, don’t mean a thing. What’s more, on some available properties, signs for opposing candidates are sitting side by side.
Several cities have wound up in confusing legal wrangles over political signs, especially if they have ordinances limiting the size of signs for real estate companies, downtown banks and so on — but allow candidates for county assessor to plant massive (and technically illegal) signs in friends’ front yards.
Luke Markey of ShieldCo made that specific point: “Over half of us are unaware that each state has particular laws regarding the use of yard signs. You could end up breaking the law as well as irritating your neighbors.”
So ...
We’ve learned that Idahoans are incredibly civil about all this — and the survey seems to prove we’re courteous, even about signs touting candidates that would give us the hives.
Does that mean no Labrador supporter would yank out an Ahlquist campaign sign?
Hah!
Our laid-back attitude only goes so far.
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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press. A Brand New Day appears Wednesday through Saturday each week. Email: scameron@cdapress.com. Twitter: @BrandNewDayCDA