Hypothetical: Would you vote for a candidate with a pseudonym?

[foolsguinea.livejournal.com]

[Poll #1801028]

I was thinking about this. Let's say there's a writer who has used a pen name professionally, perhaps because his real name is something boring like Mike Smith. Does it seem strange to you to vote for him and have him sworn in under something not his legal name? What if it's sort of pretentious? Is that a minus?

What if it's just a politician who changed his name to distinguish himself from the other Joe Smiths?

What about politicians like Addison G. Wilson, who won office as "Joe Wilson"?

Alternatively, do you prefer to vote for names that are reassuringly familiar somehow?
Connie Mack's grandson and great-grandson won office using his name for themselves.
There was a congressman Marion Berry and a mayor Marion Barry, both evoking the marionberry.
Present Congressman Joe Walsh is not the guitarist Joe Walsh.
Is there a pattern here?

Would Barack Obama have done better or worse as Barry Dunham, or even Barry Brown? Would he have won your vote? Lost it?

Comments

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

I have my doubts about someone with Newt for a name, but I'm not sure how much that has to do with the name itself.

[sandwichwarrior.livejournal.com]

What's in a name?

[cill-ros.livejournal.com]

There was a presidential candidate in Ireland - think she was an MEP as well - who won the Eurovision with the name "Dana" (pronounced Dah-na) although her real name is Rosemary Scallon. Because everyone knew her as Dana, the name on the ballot paper was Dana Rosemary Scallon. A bit clunky, but it seemed to work alright.

[surferelf.livejournal.com]

Wasn't this a subplot in Ender's Game?

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't vote for an alliterative name. Barry Brown. Psh. Go the hell!

[foolsguinea.livejournal.com]

What about a rhyming one?

[moonchylde.livejournal.com]

My response to the first is just, "Yes." What someone wants to call themselves is their own business.

And while I can't say I'd vote for a 'secret past' I would be willing to vote for someone with no knowledge of their personal life.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

There's a Barry Soetoro joke in here somewhere.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Given that Louisiana's elected a guy named Piyush who goes by Bobby, I daresay that people in this state don't really have a problem with it. I don't mind pseudonyms so long as it's not some name like Victor von Doom/Vladimir Harkonen or some other obviously evil name. In short if the name makes this trope, I ain't voting for it:

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast