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Senator Clinton/vs. Hillary
I can admit to holding very little respect for Senator Clinton. My disregard stems from several reasons which personally I consider to carry relevance, such as her voting record among others.
Nevertheless, I think it is inappropriate to refer to her by her first name rather than by using her title. Her campaign has obviously made the choice to embrace the moniker "Hillary" for reasons which I will defer to you gentle reader to speculate.
Though I may disagree with her policies, her voting record and the tone she has employed in this campaign, the simple truth is that she is, in fact, a duly elected representative to the United States senate. As such, I am of the opinion that she at least deserves to be called by her full title, and so I studiously attempt to avoid referring to her as Hillary rather than Senator Clinton. Am I alone in the notion that referring to her as simply Hillary seems somewhat belittling? Those who run her campaign would seem to think so, but I am curious where fellow TPM readers weigh-in.
Thanks!
Comments (5)
It's easiest to call people by their last name. Obama, McCain, Edwards. Clinton's problem is that there is another, more famous Clinton and it happens to be her husband. So, in order to differentiate, it's easier to just call her by her first name.
April 10, 2008 3:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think there are a lot of reasons they went with "Hillary"
1) to distinguish her from Bill (clearly a big reason)
2) to soften her, humanize her, make her seem more likeable (we call people we like by their first names)
3) to remind people she's a woman (she has run from the beginning as the "woman candidate" and plays the gender card at every turn)
I'm sure there are others - but those are the big three that come to mind for me. As to #3 - this is one of the reasons she turns me off - and I'm a woman.
April 10, 2008 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I try to call her Sen. Clinton as much as I can, but I don't think you can say it's disrespectful to call her Hillary. Her campaign signs all say "Hillary." That suggests to me that for a number of reasons she wants us to think of her as Hillary and not Clinton.
April 10, 2008 4:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only reason I refer to her as "Hillary" is to distinguish her from Bill. And it's also the moniker she has chosen for the campaign, for the same reasons I assume.
April 10, 2008 4:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps.
Based on many of her statements, I have drawn a conclusion that she attempts to connect her campaign with the presidency of her husband, which is still held in high regard by many voters. Hence, I would have guessed her campaign might want to see "Clinton" displayed everywhere, rather than attempt to distinguish her from Bill. Though obviously, that has not been the case, so you're point might very well be correct.
At any rate, I am thinking I will choose to continue to refer to her as Senator Clinton in order to differentiate from President Clinton. Suppose if she somehow ascends to the presidency, I'll have to come up w/ something else. One of my friends refers to the other recent presidential relatives as King George the First, and Number Two much to my amusement.
April 10, 2008 4:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
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