Public Policy Polling is a respectable outfit with a pretty good track record for the short time they have been laboring in the political vineyards. So when PPP began to register numbers in the high single digits for an Independent candidate by the name of Deez Nuts in three different states when placed in competition with the leading candidates of the major parties (Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton), it was time to go to the Federal Election Commission website and investigate Mr. Nuts. It seemed prudent to see who else had filed papers to run for POTUS but had not yet come to our attention.

According to the FEC as of August 25, we have 861 choices, all the way from Republican AAA TrueProsNC of North Carolina to Independent Daniel Paul Zutler of Florida. Some of these candidates promise as much or even more entertainment value than The Donald Trump. Candidates are placed in alphabetical order within categories.

Hailing from Two Rivers, Wisconsin, we have Sir TrippyCup aka Young Trippz aka The GOAT aka The Prophet aka Earl. Mr. TrippyCup lists his political affiliation as FED, which might mean he has resurrected the Federalist Party or he thought the question was state or federal election or he wants donations sent a particular way and he forgot EX. Earl got to the front of the list because his form was alphabetized as aka.

Independent Tar Sauron Annatar registers from Mordor, Michigan, but he can see you from wherever he is. His principal campaign committee is designated as Nazgul, 666 Barad-dur, also in Mordor. Sauron requires electoral support only until he finds the One True Ring, so this may be his only election. He does not intend to make a hobbit of it.