McCain signs embattled in a blue town

Julie Keevin's large McCain/Palin sign has gone missing from her yard twice this fall.

Julie Keevins, who owns the Flying Cow with her husband, just wanted to show support for her candidate. So many in her neighborhood had already put up signs supporting Barack Obama.

So, after the Roots ‘N’ Blues ‘N’ BBQ festival in October, Keevins put up some signs of her own for John McCain.

Two days later, one sign was gone. Another was kicked in.

Keevins’ husband put wires through the sign to help keep the signs in their yard on East Broadway. It took more abuse; several days later, it was stolen again. Another disappeared on Halloween. Friends and neighbors have had similar problems.

“If you’re a Republican in this town, it’s not a very friendly environment,” Keevins said, laughing. She has lived in Columbia since she attended college here in 1986.

She has not called the police, who she feels are probably “already overburdened.”

Keevin's signs at another property show signs of damage. She said a sign that had been kicked out had to be replaced.

Keevins said it’s important to her to keep putting the signs up even though they continue to get stolen or vandalized.

“I said to my husband…you just feel like you’re getting squashed and squashed.”

And while the end of the campaign hopefully means the end of the problems, she isn’t necessarily excited.

“It depends on the results. I’m a small business owner, it would mean a lot of changes for us.”

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Join the conversation: have you had problems with signs being vandalized, whether for a Republican or a Democrat?