Maybe it’s just me.
Or, perhaps it’s a national trend.
As I make my way around Amarillo running errands and doing whatever it is I do these days, I notice a glaring lack of political expression.
Lawn signs? Hardly any. Bumper stickers? Same thing. Banners? Nope. Anyone skywriting with airplanes? Hah!
This election year is supposed to be so very consequential. Republicans backing their nominee, Donald J. Trump, say that Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton is the most corrupt individual ever to seek the presidency. Believe me, I live in the epicenter of the Republican political movement and I’m hearing a lot of it from friends and acquaintances.
Democrats backing Clinton say Trump is the most unfit and unqualified man in human history who’s ever aspired to high political office.
They say it on social media. They grumble it under their breath. They talk to their allies in whatever political echo chamber they occupy — left and right.
But there’s so little sign display. Or bumper stickers.
My theory is this: Emotions are running so high that voters are afraid of vandalism … and not just on the signs or the stickers. They fear the other side demonstrating their political displeasure in more, um, meaningful ways.
I live in Randall County, Texas, where no Democrats have appeared on the local ballot in my more than two decades living here. One isn’t likely to see any such public displays of political affection for Hillary in my neighborhood.
And Trump? Well, I’ve spotted precisely one lawn sign within a half-mile radius of my house during this election season.
We’re less than four weeks out from Election Day. I am going to presume we’ll be relatively lawn-sign-free for the duration.
The good news is that there’ll be less visual pollution to clean up once it’s all over.
