The 'namesake' who helped launch a political career

Today, while at the Cerritos Library, I stumbled across this passage from the biography of Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina.  The book is called Can't Is Not an Option: My American Story.

First, some background: Haley, who was born in India to Sikh parents but moved to the U.S. as a child, was a successful businesswoman who in 2004 was running for public office for the first time.  It was for a seat in the 87th district of the South Carolina House of Representatives.

...We had a friend, John Barefoot, who was Googling around trying to find out as much about [longtime state legislator Larry] Koon as he could to help out with the campaign.  He came across a book called The Stupidest Things Ever Said by Politicians.  There, on page thirty-eight, was this: "Women are best suited for secretarial work, decorating cakes, and counter sales, like selling lingerie."

John took the quote to my women's business group, NAWBO, and the group didn't hesitate.  It reprinted Mr. Koon's statement on a black background in archaic-looking script and put it out.  The women of the district were furious.

Haley received enough votes to enter into a runoff against Koon; she went on to defeat the incumbent by 55 percent to 45 and took office in January 2005.  After five years in the legislature, she ran for governor in 2010 and won, becoming the first woman and non-Anglo governor is the state's history.

Today, Haley is considered a rising star in the Republican party and will be among the speakers later this month at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Although there are no doubt some other people who played major roles in Haley's successful candidacy, John Barefoot's role should not be overlooked.  And wherever he is now, no doubt he is pleased.

UPDATE: Here's a recent story about budget cuts Haley has ordered.  Her actions drew praise from online columnist Eric Erickson at RedState.com, which is predominantly read by Republicans.

Barefoot surname "battle of the bands"

This is a spinoff of the Barefoot collection page I made last year.

I have found two modern rock guitarists with the surname.  Ben Barefoot and the Hand Shakes are based in Perrysburg, OH and Jonathan Barefoot and the Bulrushers are in Encinitas, CA.

Here are songs from both of them.  What do you think?
*Ben - "Nothing Is As Beautiful As You"
*Jonathan - "A Portrait of the Idiot Who Claims to Be an Artist"