The Villages, FL: Where the base is safe for GOP

THE VILLAGES — This is Republican territory.

Residents of this sprawling retirement community put American flags
on their golf carts, trust the Fox News Channel and still curse Bill Clinton. Two-thirds of them chose George W. Bush over Sen. John Kerry, who still is referred to as “the guy who looked like Herman Munster.”

They strongly support President Bush (“a man of integrity,” according to Villages resident Larry Deason). They don’t believe the polls, they like Ann Coulter for telling it like it is and they think the news media withholds good news from Iraq.
These Republican voters are not fond of Congress — many said there’s too much partisan bickering — but their complaints were aimed at the institution, not the Republicans who run it. Likewise, scandals involving Reps. Tom DeLay and Randy “Duke” Cunningham don’t bother these voters. Many defended DeLay, a party leader who is accused of money laundering and conspiracy who recently resigned from Congress.

Howard Doran, 69, a retired pharma­ceutical company manager, said DeLay “is not one of my favorites. But he’s a saint compared to Ted Kennedy.”

Nestled in the center of the state about 90 miles northeast of Tampa Bay, the Villages is an important place for Republican candidates. President Bush campaigned here in 2004, and Gov. Jeb Bush is a frequent visitor.
With a population of roughly 60,000, the Villages is larger than Pinellas Park and will have 100,000 residents by 2010.

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Like many of his neighbors, Lenn Lamoureux, 73, a retired federal employee from the Washington, D.C., area, is a Republican because of the party’s philosophy on limited government. Lamoureux said the liberal approach is that “the government is going to take care of me until I die.” He believes people should succeed or fail based on their own work.

Doran calls him “the greatest president we’ve ever had.”

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The Democratic charge that the GOP has a “culture of corruption” doesn’t strike a chord in the Villages. Indeed, when asked about recent scandals involving Republican officials, several voters defended their leaders. They said corruption is an inevitable byproduct of politics and that Republicans are no worse than Democrats
Asked about DeLay, Margaret Yadeski, 80, said “at least he didn’t do it under the desk in the Oval Office,” referring to the activities of President Clinton.

The Republicans of the Villages distrust “the liberal media” and many said they get their news from the Fox News Channel. The father of White House press secretary Tony Snow, recently of Fox News, lives here.
David Cobb, 64, a retired Navy lieutenant, said he liked Fox because “they tell you the good stuff” that he says newspapers refuse to print.

Yadeski praised Fox.

“They’re fair, especially O’Reilly,” she said, referring to talk show host Bill O’Reilly. “If he ever runs for president, I’ll campaign for him.”