# Is It Partisan to Say "Barack Hussein Obama" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 6, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045 "2012-05-06T03:51:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/21 "2012-05-06T16:26:12Z")
Using his full name in a neutral context, not partisan at all. But to a number of right-wingers it’s become the equivalent of a bratty little brother in the back seat of the car holding his finger right next to his sister’s ear saying, “I’m not touching you, I’m not touching you, I’m not touching you…” “I’m not arguing that people with part of their name in common have to share the same political opinions – that would be stupid. And I’m not saying that the president having a Muslim-sounding name means he’s a bad person – that would be racist. I’m just saying the president’s full legal name: Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama. Are you telling me I can’t say the president’s name? (Which is Barack \*\*\*Hussein \*\*\*Obama, by the way). Maybe \*other \*people might try to make some political point regarding the presidents name (arack-bay _ussein-hay_ bama-oay), but I’m just saying it, so don’t even try to rebut any political point you think I might be making, because I’m just saying a name. Barack Hussein Obama.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/22 "2012-05-06T16:32:08Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Isn’t ‘del ano’ Spanish for ‘of the anus’? It didn’t keep him from being a great president. That’d be “del año,” I think. “Del ano” could be “of the year,” which is kind of prescient since FDR was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year three times. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/23 "2012-05-06T16:52:07Z")
Agree with **leahcim**. When I see/hear someone refering to him as “Barack Hussein Obama” (in a non-formal context), my assumption is that that person is petty, and I don’t have much regard for anything else they’re saying. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/24 "2012-05-06T16:59:40Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’d be “del año,” I think. “Del ano” could be “of the year,” which is kind of prescient since FDR was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year three times. No, año is year and ano is anus. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/25 "2012-05-06T17:48:08Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > The only Presidents who have relevant full middle names that need to be mentioned are John Quincy Adams, George W. Bush, and their dads, as a disambiguation; William Henry Harrison, Taft, and any President where it would be weird not to use an _initial_ as a general rule, like John F. Kennedy and Harry S. Truman. It’s even worse when people say “Hussein did this or that.” Truman is kind of a special case. S is his middle name, to honor both his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Whether to put a period after the S is not entirely cut-and-dried, although his presidential library and the AP stylebook both do. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/26 "2012-05-06T18:09:44Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Agree with **leahcim**. When I see/hear someone refering to him as “Barack Hussein Obama” (in a non-formal context), my assumption is that that person is petty, and I don’t have much regard for anything else they’re saying. Especially when they throw in a “Barry Sotero” soon after. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/27 "2012-05-06T18:18:38Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > On a different note, I think that middle initials are often used to make a person’s name sound more rhythmic, i. e. Harry S. Truman vs. Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson vs. Lyndon Johnson or George W. Bush vs. George Bush. In Bush’s case, it was originally to distingush him from his father, the first George Bush. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/28 "2012-05-06T18:59:09Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Truman is kind of a special case. S is his middle name, to honor both his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young. Whether to put a period after the S is not entirely cut-and-dried, although his presidential library and the AP stylebook both do. Yeah, I know, I had to check, and went with Wikipedia’s style even though no-period is kind of more interesting. And a more than a decade ago, he was “George Bush,” but now it seems that “George H.W. Bush” is used more, at least non-casually. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/29 "2012-05-06T20:17:34Z")
[Mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ty7WU872Lk) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/30 "2012-05-06T20:38:48Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Yeah, I know, I had to check, and went with Wikipedia’s style even though no-period is kind of more interesting. > > And a more than a decade ago, he was “George Bush,” but now it seems that “George H.W. Bush” is used more, at least non-casually. I’ve also heard him referred to as “#41”, at least at Texas A&M where one of the schools and a library is named after him, complete with a diner called “The Forty-One”. Fun guy if you ever get a chance to see him speak in person. Does a great H. Ross Perot impersonation (evidently the two are or used to be friends). ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/31 "2012-05-06T20:44:40Z")
Yes, it’s partisan in most contexts. He doesn’t go by it, so unless you’re writing a biography or something (as mentioned), it really shouldn’t be used. > [@leahcim](#): > > “I’m not arguing that people with part of their name in common have to share the same political opinions – that would be stupid. And I’m not saying that the president having a Muslim-sounding name means he’s a bad person – that would be racist. I’m just saying the president’s full legal name: Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, Barack Hussein Obama. Are you telling me I can’t say the president’s name? (Which is Barack \*\*\*Hussein \*\*\*Obama, by the way). Maybe \*other \*people might try to make some political point regarding the presidents name (arack-bay _ussein-hay_ bama-oay), but I’m just saying it, so don’t even try to rebut any political point you think I might be making, because I’m just saying a name. Barack Hussein Obama.” [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gmiKenqLVAU/hqdefault.jpg "I Want To Kill The President") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmiKenqLVAU) > [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > He doesn’t go by his middle name. Some people want to evoke hatred of Muslims and his name is an obviously Muslim name. It would kinda be like if someone’s last name was Kim and whenever we used their full name in a sentence then we referred to Kim Jong Un or Kim Jong Ill to remind everyone about those heathen, commie, tyrannical, mass-murdering Kims. Really unfair to the zillions of Kims who would never do such a thing, but there are worse things than being partisan. Like being partisan on the side of the Kims! I don’t think it’s the fact that it’s a Muslim name, I don’t think Barack Aahil Obama would get nearly as much mileage. I think it’s more the fact that it specifically draws similarity to one Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/32 "2012-05-06T21:24:37Z")
It’s interesting that my grandfather, my father and I all share the same first and last name and even with that the only times we ever used our middle names was when we were signing some sort of document where our identities might have been confused (like listing a beneficiary on an insurance policy or a will.) So if Barack Obama isn’t all that concerned about being confused with all the other Barack Obamas, I won’t worry about it either. ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/33 "2012-05-06T21:24:41Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Let’s take the example of **Curtis LeMay**. His middle name is **Emerson**. There’s no particular reason that I should ever bring up his middle name under normal circumstances. However, if there were a rumor that he was gay, and I wanted to subtly reinforce this concept, I might always use “Emerson” when referring to him, as it’s not a strong short macho type name, and it is the last name of a poet. So clearly I have an agenda that I’m trying to reinforce by my particular word choice. [Emerson Fittipaldi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson_Fittipaldi) would like a word with you. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/34 "2012-05-06T22:46:54Z")
> [@What\_the](#): > > Then we’d get called out for identifying him to closely with his father, [who wasn’t the greatest role model and was even on a US/UK watch list.](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/04/secret-uk-government-files-list-president-obamas-father/) Who’s “we?” I assume you meant “too” rather than “to.” ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/35 "2012-05-07T00:10:05Z")
What about Hilary Rodham Clinton? Is that also partisan in some way? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/36 "2012-05-07T02:35:34Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > What about Hilary Rodham Clinton? Is that also partisan in some way? I thought that was her choice? Or at least acceptable to her. A way of including her maiden name. I notice that her [Wiki page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilary_Clinton) calls her that. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/37 "2012-05-07T02:45:26Z")
Not unless the word “Rod-ham” makes you giggle like a twelve-year old. And I believe she herself uses it publicly. A very crappy analogy about this thread topic would be if you knew someone who had “Wayne” as a middle name, and you kept overemphasizing it to imply he was a serial killer. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/38 "2012-05-07T02:53:59Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Not unless the word “Rod-ham” makes you giggle like a twelve-year old. > > And I believe she herself uses it publicly. A very crappy analogy about this thread topic would be if you knew someone who had “Wayne” as a middle name, and you kept overemphasizing it to imply he was a serial killer. She does. It is listed that way on the Secretary of State website. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/39 "2012-05-07T03:08:25Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > What about Hilary Rodham Clinton? Is that also partisan in some way? No, since she’s chosen to go by that name at least some of the time. In fact I remember there were some polls in 2008 that indicated she polled better as Hillary Rodham Clinton than as Hillary Clinton, but her official campaign stuff tended to say Hillary Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2012, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045/40 "2012-05-07T03:10:43Z")
Barack H. Obama isn’t too bratty and it fits with John F Kennedy and George W. Bush. Barack Hussein Suteo-Obama Al-Kenya’i Junior however… well, that’s just an attempt at mudslinging when you don’t have any mud. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-partisan-to-say-barack-hussein-obama/621045.md?page=3)