The name game, perhaps with resulting blame (no plame!)

The Express News editorial board doesn't think "Grandma" is a nickname, and urges Sec. State Roger Williams to leave it off the ballot:

Strayhorn, the Texas comptroller since 1999, has campaigned as "One Tough Grandma" throughout the race, and her Web site says she is "One Tough Grandma, watching out for Texas." The Web address www.onetoughgrandma.com links to her campaign site.

Sounds a lot like a slogan.

Meanwhile, Austin's Statesman pontificates:
To show just how serious she is about appearing on the ballot as "Grandma," gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn hired Austin legal legend Roy Minton to represent her. Minton wrote Secretary of State Roger Williams (who, coincidentally shares a name with a famous '50s pianist) urging him to reconsider a decision to deny Strayhorn the use of a nickname.

If you're new around here, the name Roy Minton may not mean much, but he's quite a powerhouse. To illustrate: Minton got on an elevator full of statewide political and business luminaries after lunch at the Headliners Club a couple of years back. Noting Minton's presence, one of the distinguished passengers asked rhetorically: "You know what the headline in the paper would be if this elevator crashed? 'Minton, others killed in elevator accident.' "

...

Ballot name is just as important as ballot position, and given that we've had a Jesse James and a Daniel Boone on the Texas ballot, Grandma doesn't seem all that exotic.

Minton may be a fantastic advocate, but it seems that he should hire a proofreader: his letter to Roger Williams has two errors in the title. One is a minor typo but the other incorrectly labels his candidate as Carol instead of Carole. Given his "Strahorn" mistakes in the past, you'd think that Minton would take particular care to get his client's name correct. We all make mistakes, but screwing up your client's name twice isn't good.

Meanwhile, Friedman has his own letter about being on the ballot as just "Kinky Friedman" instead of "Richard "Kinky" Friedman."

Posted by Evan @ 07/05/06 10:06 PM

 
 

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