Serious question: how weird a last name is possible to win the WH with?

[ZombieNixon]

If Governor Brzezinski of the state of Himselfia decides to run for president, could he win even though his last name is outlandish? How heavily does a candidate's name weigh upon his/her chances of winning the White House? Think long term, will America ever elect a president with a...er...different last name? I ask because many people mention Evan Bayh's last name as a minus (his moderate/conservative record aside). Could Bayh win the White House if he dropped the final "h?"

[On the Road]

1. As Steven Colvert Said about Tom Vilsack,

"I don't the Democrats need anyone with "sack" in his name on the ticket."

[noamnety]

2. Once we elected Obama to the Senate

I think we broke the weird name barrier.

[ZombieNixon]

4. But, Obama is easily pronounced using phonetics.

I think we've made strides with governors, especially Blagojevich (IL) and Kulongoski (OR), but outside their states, they don't make much news.

Are we ever going to see President Polanski or President Unpronounceableindianswamy?

[charlie]

6. If Arnie's any indication, yeah

He was often implored to take a new name because his unpronouncable hard-to-spell one would doom him in Hollywood. Now look where he is.

[ZombieNixon]

8. In that case,

any person with a foreign-sounding name had better be a nationally known figure before attempting a run for the WH. A movie star would help, but everyone's movie star, so if he/she's a career politician, he/she'd better aquire a reputation for some serious ass-kicking that gets national attention.

BTW, in the first Hollywood movie Arnold was in, he was credited as "Arnold Strong," apparently.

[signmike]

17. Sure, Mr. Penis Van Lesbian had to change his name...

to Dick Van Dyke

;-)

[RadicalMom]

9. Well, I'd vote for that last one. Very creative.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. No name with only four letters, such as Bayh, can be

seriously thought of as "weird."

[ZombieNixon]

5. And I quote...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=1494319&mesg_id=1494548&page=

Bayh, name is too weird.

[Catherine Vincent]

7. If two Bush's can make it then any name will suffice.

[RadicalMom]

10. Willie Meek or George Fuhxabutt would win. Maybe.

[leyton]

11. Well, was Dukakis hurt by his name?

He's really the only nominee of either party that's had an offbeat name in recent times. There was Roosevelt before him, but that doesn't count since TR assumed the Presidency upon McKinley's death.

[ZombieNixon]

13. I don't know, I wasn't even two at the time.

Maybe someone older than me can help out here.

[charlie]

15. Wasn't an issue

And his cousin Olympia winning the Oscar in a popular movie that same year helped make the name familiar to the public.

[Anakin Skywalker]

12. Speaking of which

How about that Libertinian Michael BADnarik?

[Hello_Kitty]

14. Eisenhower is the most unusual name I can think of who was a President.

[InvisibleTouch]

16. A friend once told me...

...he hated John Edwards' name. It's been bugging me ever since, as to why, but we were in the midst of conversation and I never got back around to asking him. But really - John Edwards?? What, too commonplace? Weird....

[signmike]

18. I remember Spiro T. Agnew had a time of it

reminds me of that tennis player, Agony Ecstasy

[ChiciB1]

19. This Is From The Past, but Dukakis

was a name that I had a hard time with. I campaigned for him and was one of his biggest supporters, but his name always sounded funny after Mr. President.

BayH isn't so bad, but I'm not on board with him yet. A little too conservative for me. I'm more Wellstone than Bayh.