The Morse family obviously have a huge impact on Sumter County politics but doubt if they have all that much clout on the national level as this article seems to imply. They probably have a lot of clout in FL politics as well.

They do not seem to have that much power on Marion County politics but some in Lake County.

They would need to have more media control than just VNN and The Villages Daily Sun to do that. There is very little of The Villages Daily Sun available through the Internet.

Books like Leisureville also counteract the political influence TV's First Family might have.

I am waiting though for Gary Morse to be featured on one of Letterman's Top Ten Lists. Then he will have made it into the American psyche IMHO.