Inconsistent handling of nicknames

[martinburch]

Compare

    first: Buddy
    last: Carter
    official_full: Earl L. "Buddy" Carter

to:

    first: Garland
    last: Barr
    nickname: Andy
    official_full: Andy Barr

I like the style of having all the name components available but using only the members' preferred name (as given on their websites) as the official_full name. So, I think it would be preferable to update Rep. Carter to read:

    first: Earl
    middle: L.
    nickname: Buddy
    last: Carter
    official_full: Buddy Carter

Also need to have a look at the full names of Eric A. "Rick" Crawford, Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann, Henry C. "Hank" Johnson Jr., and Robert C. "Bobby" Scott ... and that's just the current legislators!

What do you think?

[JoshData]

official_full is being used for some sanity checking in the scripts:

https://github.com/unitedstates/congress-legislators/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=official_full

For House members, its value can't be changed without breaking the sanity checks.

[JoshData]

.... And the rest of the name fields reflect how the legislator wants to be referred to (as opposed to what we think the legislator's legal name might be).

[martinburch]

So, the official_full name for House members must match http://clerk.house.gov/? Those entries are sometimes at odds with what the legislators have on their own sites. Compare:

• Chuck Fleischmann http://fleischmann.house.gov/
• Charles J. "Chuck" Fleischmann http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/mem_contact_info.aspx?statdis=TN03

Sorry, unclear on the sources for the name info -- how do we know what name the legislator wants used, @JoshData ?

[JoshData]

So, the official_full name for House members must match http://clerk.house.gov/?

If we want the ability to sanity check the scripts, yes.

unclear on the sources for the name info -- how do we know what name the legislator wants used

Their website primarily, or how they appear in official documents (say, bill text).

[martinburch]

I don't understand the purpose of the sanity check against the Clerk site if that site is not the canonical source for name information.

If official_full is going to remain untouched, though, can the rest of Buddy Carter's name properties be adjusted as I suggest? Should there be pull requests modifying the yaml file directly, or do you use a script to fetch the proper name information? I don't see a script.

[JoshData]

I don't understand the purpose of the sanity check against the Clerk site if that site is not the canonical source for name information.

It's not a check on the value of the fields --- it's a check that the data we're pulling from the Clerk site is lining up with the right person at all, because we're fetching it by state & district and not by an identifier linked to a person specifically, if I recall right.

The names are maintained by hand.

I would be okay with the Buddy Carter changes (as a pull request, yes). For others reading, that's from

first: Buddy
last: Carter

to

first: Earl
middle: L.
nickname: Buddy
last: Carter

even though his website primary says "Buddy Carter", on the basis that his name is spelled out on his bio and the longer form matches the Clerk site.

Anyone else want to ring in?

[konklone]

:+1: Looks good to me.

[jcarbaugh]

:+1: as well.

Unfortunate that the field is named official_full as it implies that it's an official display name, which it apparently is not. Even more confusing when the proper name to use should be found "in official documents" but official_full does not reflect that. Oh well, ¯_(ツ)_/¯.