Jim Geraghty Comes Undone

October 22, 2008 2:03 pm ET by Jamison Foser

Last week, I explained the problem with assuming that voter registration forms for voters with "funny" names:

That's Drudge's point here - Hahahaha, they tried to register Mickey Mouse!  Fools!  But here's the thing: there are 32 people named "Mickey Mouse" listed in the White Pages nationwide, including two in Florida ... On MSNBC, NBC deputy political director Mark Murray just referred to "Harry Potter" and "Han Solo" as other obviously fake names.  There are 77 Harry Potters in the White Pages.  No Han Solos, but there is a Hans Solo.  And 8 Luke Skywalkers.  This is really simple: You cannot tell that a voter registration form is illegitimate based solely on the name.

As I noted at the time, the United States is a nation of 300 million people.  They aren't all named Fred Jones.  Assuming that a name is fake just because it is unusual, or "funny," or the same as the name of a celebrity, is nothing short of stupid.

Unfortunately, that's a lesson some people have to learn the hard way. Jed L at Daily Kos points out that the National Review's Jim Geraghty made a fool of himself by mocking American Prospect writer Adam Serwer based on just such an assumption:

Now, unless A. Serwer thinks that there is actually a registered voter named "Duran Duran" in New Mexico, he ought to refrain from sputtering that those who disagree with him are 'racist' and 'paranoid.'

You see where this is going, don't you? Yep.

Here's Geraghty's follow-up:

UPDATE: I am floored by the fact that the white pages for Albuquereque, New Mexico has a listing for "Duran Duran." Mea culpa.