# How much longer can they keep calling her "Hillary"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 24, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597 "2016-10-24T15:08:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/41 "2016-10-24T20:08:26Z")
> [@squidfood](#): > > . . . I look forward to President Clinton and Bill. The Presidents Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/42 "2016-10-24T20:09:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Most people would say “The vast majority of Democrats use “Democratic” …”. I am a Democrat. > > Sure, “Democratic” is the correct adjective form. So fucking what? I also say “Dems” as a shortening. > > The Democratic party uses the term “Democrat” all the time. Why let the OP turn it into a slur? By doing that you’re letting them win. Youre doing their job for them. “Democrat” is fine as a noun, and not a slur. “Democrat” as an adjective is improper and usually used as a slur. I think slurs are rude and obnoxious, and I think it’s reasonable to call them out. The same goes for racial and religious (and other) slurs – I encourage people to call out and criticize their use. It’s no more “letting them win” to call them out then it’s letting homophobes win by calling out their usage of anti-gay slurs. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/43 "2016-10-24T20:39:29Z")
Personally, I usually refer to any nationally-prominent politician by last name, except when that would be ambiguous (which happens much more often when there are two prominent politicians with the same last name). If I’m talking about both of the Clintons, then I’ll refer to them either as “Hillary Clinton” and “Bill Clinton”, or just as “Hillary” and “Bill” (depending on whether the context makes it obvious that it’s about them). But yeah, there are plenty of reasons why others might just call her “Hillary”, and those reasons are not necessarily sexist. It’s analogous to calling the 43rd President “Dubya”, or his brother John “Jeb”. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/44 "2016-10-24T21:04:05Z")
I usually use “That fucking Nixon,” “That fucking Reagan,” and “That fucking clown Bush.” I’m gonna call Hillz “the Prez,” in honor of Lester Young. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/45 "2016-10-24T21:06:40Z")
Just noticed that with this thread, but there is a need and precedents set for differentiating different members of the same family, note George **W** Bush ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/46 "2016-10-24T21:07:16Z")
Bush 42 Clinton 44? Bit too cold, init. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/47 "2016-10-24T21:33:35Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > How long can they keep this up? Theoretically, a bit over 2 weeks. > [@](#): > > I assume her campaign is going to want people to start thinking of her as “President Clinton”, right? Or “President Elect Clinton?” Or will she remain “Hillary” until she takes office (at which time I assume a more rigid protocol will take effect)? Proper protocol should take effect after she’s elected, but **as a shorthand** , it will likely be Hillary until she retires as there will be a need to distinguish her from her former President husband. Eisenhower was always ‘Ike’, wasn’t he? ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/48 "2016-10-24T22:01:30Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > ETA: My prefered designation for the current Prince and Princess of Wales is Bill and Kathy Cambridge. Really? I would have gone with Chuck and Cam Rothesay. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/49 "2016-10-24T22:14:05Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > (or BHO). …which sounds like the last item on an ingredients list, after mono- and diglycerides. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/50 "2016-10-24T22:20:59Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Eisenhower was always ‘Ike’, wasn’t he? I doubt there were many occasions when it was ambiguous if you were talking about Dwight or Milton. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/51 "2016-10-24T22:26:24Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > ETA: My prefered designation for the current Prince and Princess of Wales is Bill and Kathy Cambridge. I think they’re the future Prince & Princess of Wales. Chuck & Cammy are the current title holders. I’m guessing she stops being “Hillary” on January 19th. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/52 "2016-10-24T22:50:30Z")
Back in '92 I seem to remember that _in casual contexts_ Bill Clinton and Al Gore tended to be referred to (and themselves refer to one another) like that: by shortened-first plus family name. If in a more formal environment however it was Governor Clinton and Senator Gore. But as has been mentioned before with the current candidate you have the issue that there is already another very prominent Politician Clinton(\*). In any case, as mentioned, embracing the Hillary brand takes away from the opposition the use of the first-name-basis as some sort of put-down(\*\*), and helps make her “friendlier” (and Og knows she needs it). As mentioned in the '08 debates, I suspect Obama referring too McCain as “John” was a way of saying “Seniority schmeniority, I’m as much a Senator and candidate as you are.” And YES, the use of honorifics and rank titles among civil society IS passing away. Pretty soon the only places you will hear “(Title) So-and-so, Sir” is going to be where some actual regulation \*mandates \*that protocol (courtrooms, Legislative hearings, military duty posts, etc). Won’t bother me that much TBH. (\*In a way it’s just too bad that the culture she moved in made it politically unsustainable for her to remain simply Rodham – and kind of disheartening that large segments of the population still today would find that objectionable.) (\*\*And reserves the referring to Donald as just Donald for use as a way to get under his skin, since HE is so attached to the sound of “Mr. Trump, Sir”) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/53 "2016-10-25T00:50:27Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > She’s embraced it as a brand, but she really didn’t have any choice. I do think there’s an issue of sexism\* here, but that Clinton more or less inoculated herself against it by adopting it as her brand. The alternative was to fight it the way “Mr. Trump” does, and her campaign is too smart to take that route. > > - We implicitly talk about women, regardless of qualifications, less seriously than we talk about men. Ask any woman university professor about people who refer to her male colleagues as Dr. and to her as Ms. Interesting. I’ve never used anything but Doctor (whether it’s MD or PhD, they’ve put in the time) regardless of sex. Guess it says something about me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/54 "2016-10-25T02:04:18Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > …I’m surprised Hillary didn’t launch her campaign using her hyphenated name-- Hillary Rodham-Clinton, with the request to media that she be called “President Rodham-Clinton” once she took office. Would be a nice distinguishing feature, plus a nod to her own roots. Has she ever actually used “Rodham-Clinton” as a hyphenated surname? She was plain Hillary Rodham until her husband lost his bid for reelection to the governorship of Arkansas back in 1980; then she took his last name and used her maiden name as a middle name (something prominent American women have been doing since the 19th century & unlikely to ruffle any feathers). Carol Moseley Braun on the other was known as Carol Moseley-Braun when she was a US Senator, but dropped the hyphen when she ran for president back in 2004. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/55 "2016-10-25T02:58:51Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I’m guessing she stops being “Hillary” on January 19th. Yep, then she’ll be Madam President. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/56 "2016-10-25T05:04:11Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > I think they’re the future Prince & Princess of Wales. Chuck & Cammy are the current title holders. Cammy is Duchess of Cornwall, but not the Princess of Wales. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/57 "2016-10-25T05:05:32Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > Bush 42 > Clinton 44? > > Bit too cold, init. I’d say the coldest thing about that is the inaccuracy. Bush 4 **3** Clinton 4 **5** ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/58 "2016-10-25T07:02:57Z")
The Clinton ad I heard on TV during yesterday’s news called her “Hillary.” In Texas! [News from Harris County:](http://www.chron.com/houston/article/Early-voting-begins-with-long-lines-in-Harris-10160541.php) > [@](#): > > Monday’s turnout of 67,471 in-person voters shattered the county record of 47,093 set in 2012 for the first day of early voting. Another 61,543 mail ballots had been returned as of Monday, bringing the total number of early voters so far to 129,014 in Texas’ most populous county. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/59 "2016-10-25T07:25:16Z")
If it’s systemic sexism in Western media one should expect to see this first name bias applied to other prominent women in politics. Elizabeth Loretta Angela Theresa Ruth Janet Madeleine Condoleezza Kellyanne Nikki Jan Sarah I don’t find this to be the case, but your mileage may vary. A media analysis study would be interesting. A bit before my time, so I’ll ask. Did the '80s media regularly refer to Mondale’s VP as Geraldine? I don’t think the media called Sanders by his first name much, at least not in print. On talking head shows, definitely. I don’t remember Sanders supporters calling this out as disrespect, probably because they liked the idea of him being a personable grandfatherly figure and because of the memes and slogans around his first name, e.g. feel the Bern. They definitely didn’t like being called “Bernie bros,” but that’s a different issue. If you want to be more formal and avoid confusion call her HRC. One of Hillary’s perceived flaws is that she’s cold and distant, so using her first name on a regular basis might help with that. I agree with the reasons given so far. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597/60 "2016-10-25T07:34:31Z")
I tend to agree with the points made above - it’s not sexist, it’s part of a general trend toward first name usage, it distinguishes her from Bill, it sounds friendlier, and it gives her permission to talk about “Donald,” which we’re told he hates. Also, “Hill-uh-REE! Hill-uh-REE!” makes a rousing chant for the crowds to shout (“Clinton!” not so much), and effectively overwrites any lingering auditory memory of “lock her UP! lock her UP!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-longer-can-they-keep-calling-her-hillary/769597.md?page=4)