One of many dark-horse candidates for mayor this year is Jimmy McMillan of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party. As is immediately apparent from the name of the party, which he founded, the primary concern of McMillan’s candidacy is the rent in New York City, which he believes is not only high, not only too high, but (and this is the key) too damn high. It’s that note of frustration that provides his platform the extra bit of passion and immediacy that could very well ignite a movement and propel him to a distant fourth place this November. Which is exactly what the Board of Elections fears will happen! That’s why they recently excised “damn” from the name of the party. Sure, they claim they only did so because party names have to be fifteen characters or fewer in length, and McMillan refused to shorten it himself. But if that’s the case, why was the full name allowed to appear on ballots when McMillan ran for mayor in 2005? A lawyer for the Board of Elections told the Times that he has “no idea,” but we’ll tell you what happened: The Man started to get nervous.
A Candidate’s One-Word Battle With the Elections Board [City Room/NYT]
