# Names you shouldn't go into Politics with. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 2, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490 "2012-09-02T22:57:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bigal11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@bigal11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigal11)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/1 "2012-09-02T22:57:10Z")
[http://failname.com/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with-part-1/](http://failname.com/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with-part-1/) I can’t believe they left out Dick Ryder. And not a Bush in sight. Any others? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/2 "2012-09-02T23:03:13Z")
> **[Home | U.S. Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho](https://www.crapo.senate.gov/)** > > The Official U.S. Senate website of Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/3 "2012-09-02T23:36:51Z")
There was a British Labour MP called [Seymour Cocks.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Cocks) It seems the Nazis took him seriously, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/4 "2012-09-02T23:37:58Z")
[The Honorable Richard Face](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Face) was a state member of parliament round here for over 30 years, and a Minister for Gaming and Racing for 8 of those years. You just didn’t (and don’t) call the former MP “Dick Face”. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/5 "2012-09-02T23:48:36Z")
You probably shouldn’t go into politics if your name is very similar to a mass-murdering terrorist. Oh, wait… ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/6 "2012-09-02T23:51:07Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > There was a British Labour MP called [Seymour Cocks.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Cocks) > > It seems the Nazis took him seriously, at least. I wonder if Moe Szyslak would, too. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/7 "2012-09-03T00:27:29Z")
It may have been George Will who said he’d give Gary Hart a pass on changing his name, because his birth name (Hartpence) would have been “the wimpiest name in American politics since Millard Fillmore”. ---
**Author:** ![D-bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@D-bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D-bear)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/8 "2012-09-03T05:04:19Z")
Weiner, especially if you like to send out cell phone pics of your Johnson… ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/9 "2012-09-03T12:11:31Z")
[Richard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Swett)[Swett](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GmMXfVVwTNw/Rh0LceXkiLI/AAAAAAAAAUg/fN-N81gSKXM/s1600-h/dick+swett.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/10 "2012-09-03T13:20:35Z")
Then there was porn star/Cook County attorney general, [Dick Devine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_A._Devine). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/11 "2012-09-03T17:12:22Z")
Canaan Banana and Goodluck Jonathan didn’t seem to have their careers stunted, but maybe they had to stay in Africa to do it. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/12 "2012-09-04T10:43:40Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > [Richard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Swett)[Swett](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GmMXfVVwTNw/Rh0LceXkiLI/AAAAAAAAAUg/fN-N81gSKXM/s1600-h/dick+swett.jpg) Jack, no need to be coy, he calls himself Dick so you can too. ---
**Author:** ![Abortion\_Fanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@Abortion\_Fanatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abortion_Fanatic)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/13 "2012-09-05T15:45:00Z")
Tokyo Sexwale is a pretty amazing name. I think you’d have to go into politics; I’d have a difficult time _not_ voting for that guy. [Rich White,](http://www.use.com/images/s_2/Rich_White_Republican_bf7d96f358be043c2e5b_1.jpg) republican is my favourite. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/14 "2012-09-06T03:35:58Z")
A long-time Texas state treasurer – an elected office – was named Jesse James. Toward the end of his life, there were rumors that he had changed his name to that in order to stick out in voters’ minds, but I never knew if that was true. I believe he held the office for 36 years. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/15 "2012-09-06T13:42:58Z")
You can have the name “Norman Dicks” but if so, you should never ever join a commission that writes something called the “Cox Report.” > [@](#): > > The Chairman of the Committee was Republican Rep. Christopher Cox of California, whose name became synonymous with the committee’s final report. Four other Republicans and Democrats served on the panel, including Representative Norm Dicks, who served as the ranking Democratic member. > **[Cox Report](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_Report)** > > The Report of the Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China, commonly known as the Cox Report after Representative Christopher Cox, is a classified U.S. government document reporting on the People's Republic of China's covert operations within the United States during the 1980s and 1990s. The redacted version of the report was released to the public on May 25, 1999. > The report was the work product of the Select Committee o... ---
**Author:** ![blackfeather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@blackfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/16 "2016-04-20T02:11:48Z")
In a recent California election, one of the candidates was a “Jim Theis.” Fortunately for him, not the infamous writer of “The Eye of Argon”, a fantasy story that’s SO incredibly bad, that it’s lead to contests where the story is mocked, and readers aren’t allowed to laugh at the horrible plotting, grammar, characterization, etc. But still, it’s not an auspicious name for a politican. If you are James Theis, I’d think you’d go by that, or maybe a middle name. See: [The Eye of Argon - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eye_of_Argon) and the politician, ran for Board of Equalization: [http://www.bayareagop.com/jim-theis-for-board-of-equalization-district-2/](http://www.bayareagop.com/jim-theis-for-board-of-equalization-district-2/) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/17 "2016-04-20T03:56:25Z")
> [@bigal11](#): > > [http://failname.com/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with-part-1/](http://failname.com/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with-part-1/) > > I can’t believe they left out Dick Ryder. And not a Bush in sight. > > Any others? Linky no worky. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/18 "2016-04-20T03:59:28Z")
> [@bigal11](#): > > \*\*Names you shouldn’t go into Politics with. \*\* “Donald Trump.” It’s not a porn-name exactly, but it presents a serious danger that people might confuse you with that worthless piece of shit from _The Apprentice._ ---
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/19 "2016-04-20T04:19:54Z")
[Anything] Bush. there’s 100 million super pac dollars to attest to that. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490/20 "2016-04-20T04:21:43Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Linky no worky. That’s probably because this thread’s three and a half years old. That’s like 89 in people years. Let’s see if your linky worky nice when \*you’re \*89. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/names-you-shouldnt-go-into-politics-with/633490.md?page=2)