Will it ever be "Clinton" rather than "Hillary"?

[Mr. Morden]

The question I posed in 2007 still applies today:

Just wondering.  Many of us on this forum commonly refer to Hillary Rodham Clinton as "Clinton", following the convention that you refer to politicians by their last name.  But to virtually the entire rest of the world (including political pundits) it's always "Hillary".  Even her own campaign seems to use "Hillary" more often than "Clinton".  If she were to actually win the nomination, would this continue throughout the entire campaign?  If she were to be elected president, would it stop then?  Or would we have "President Hillary" rather than "President Clinton"?

[Meursault]

If/when she becomes President, it will be as 'President Clinton'. For now, though, I suspect she prefers to be known by her first name. It's subtle, but it creates an automatic intimacy and immediacy with voters few other politicians have.

[Mister Mets]

There's also a tendency to refer to Jeb Bush as Jeb. It's a bit necessary to distinguish relatives of former Presidents from the former Presidents.

[RogueBeaver]

Dynastic rules.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Madam Prez, presumptively, but Clinton legacy.

[Niemeyerite]

When people say "Clinton", I think about her. The other is "Bill" for me.

[BaconBacon96]

When people say "Clinton", I think about her. The other is "Bill" for me.

Same, I've come to identify the name "Clinton" with her more than I do with "Bill".

But of course her campaign intended that, as it makes her distinctive not only from her husband, but from other politicians.

[Tieteobserver]

Never gave it a thought.

On one hand, voters 20 and older acknowledge her primarily due to her being Mr. Clinton's wife. Younger ones, however, probably have heard loads more about her that about her husband. Regardless, the media heavily refers to her as Hillary. Perhaps it'll be a mix of those 2 options: though the connection with her marriage and her lovely super loyal husband won't go overlooked at all, for the sake of electing the first woman president, they'll underemphasise her Clintoness, in an attempt to detach her from a man.

[Mister Mets]

I don't see it ever changing.

If Hillary runs in 2016, Bill will be one of her top surrogates so it'll still be necessary to use first names to clarify who said what.

If she wins, Bill would be expected to be a prominent first gentleman due to his former office, which could make for confusing headlines. A generation later she'll be one of two Former President Clintons.  We know that Bill was reasonably popular (reelected, high approval ratings) so it'll be tough for her to be the first Clinton people think of, even with the significance of the milestone of first female President.

Obviously if she doesn't run, or runs and loses, Bill Clinton will be the most prominent Clinton.

The second George Bush to be President was quickly the most important "President (George) Bush" and that was with a shorter difference between stints in office, but there are a few differences. HW was a one-termer and kept a low profile during his son's administration.

[Likely Voter]

I wonder how she will be addressed during the campaign. The media, in debates, her opponents, etc. Will they call her "Secretary Clinton" "Senator Clinton" or something else?

[BaconBacon96]

I wonder how she will be addressed during the campaign. The media, in debates, her opponents, etc. Will they call her "Secretary Clinton" "Senator Clinton" or something else?

Probably "Secretary" as that was the last office she held, not unlike Mitt Romney being referred to as "Governor Romney" during his campaigns.

[Clarko95 📚💰📈]

We had FDR, LBJ, JFK, etc. so I can see HRC possibly coming into use.



"Clinton" to me still means Bill.

[whanztastic]

We had FDR, LBJ, JFK, etc. so I can see HRC possibly coming into use.



"Clinton" to me still means Bill.

this makes sense to me.

[Mr. Morden]

If she wins, Bill would be expected to be a prominent first gentleman due to his former office, which could make for confusing headlines. A generation later she'll be one of two Former President Clintons.  We know that Bill was reasonably popular (reelected, high approval ratings) so it'll be tough for her to be the first Clinton people think of, even with the significance of the milestone of first female President.

Sure, but currently, many journalists for example refer to "President Obama".  If HRC becomes prez, surely they'll call her "President Clinton", no?

[Meeker]

I think she'll be known as both 'Hillary' and 'President Clinton' depending on the context and the formality of the publication/setting, just as the current president is known both as 'Obama' and 'President Obama'. I don't see 'President Hillary' ever being a thing except on bumper stickers or something.

In other words, 'Hillary' isn't going away.

[Mister Mets]

If she wins, Bill would be expected to be a prominent first gentleman due to his former office, which could make for confusing headlines. A generation later she'll be one of two Former President Clintons.  We know that Bill was reasonably popular (reelected, high approval ratings) so it'll be tough for her to be the first Clinton people think of, even with the significance of the milestone of first female President.

Sure, but currently, many journalists for example refer to "President Obama".  If HRC becomes prez, surely they'll call her "President Clinton", no?

It's a bit different because Barack Obama is the only President with the last name Obama.

The Clintons are in an unusual place. Bill Clinton would likely be a notable figure in an HRC administration, and he was the only Democratic President for a twenty-eight year stretch from 1981-2008, so he'll be more significant than even the typical former Prez.

[Likely Voter]

Once she becomes POTUS it could end up being like it was with the second President Bush. She will be referred to as President Clinton but also some in the pundit class  will have shorthand ways of distinguishing, like they did with terms like "Bush 43" "W" and "Bush Jr", and "Hillary" is the obvious choice.

However, like with George W. Bush, context alone will be clear enough. So Wolf Blitzer could say "today President Clinton introduced her new budget" and you will know, even if it is "The Clinton Administration is facing new critiques from GOP", you will figure it out.

In essence Hillary will become "President Clinton" and references to Bill Clinton will be "former President Bill Clinton" as in "today former president Bill Clinton traveled to Egypt" or whatever.

[Simfan34]

If she wins, Bill would be expected to be a prominent first gentleman due to his former office, which could make for confusing headlines. A generation later she'll be one of two Former President Clintons.  We know that Bill was reasonably popular (reelected, high approval ratings) so it'll be tough for her to be the first Clinton people think of, even with the significance of the milestone of first female President.

Sure, but currently, many journalists for example refer to "President Obama".  If HRC becomes prez, surely they'll call her "President Clinton", no?

I can see the letter address:

The Presidents Clinton
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

I assume "The Presidents Clinton" would be the proper form, just as you would write to "The Doctors Smith" or "The Professors Johnson" today. One could almost see a pseudo-monarchic distinction, "The President" being Hillary while "President Clinton" is Bill.

[Antonio the Sixth]

She should just go back to Rodham.

[Tender Branson]

Hillary will always be Hillary to me, because the real Clinton is Bill.

"Hillary" is already a well-established word here in Austria, just like "handy" for "mobile phone" (even though her name recognition is probably a good bit lower here than in the US).