Why is everyone referring to Clinton by her first name? [View all]

[jeff47]

When discussing male politicians, we generally use their last name. It's Rubio, not Marco. It's Cruz, not Ted. It's Christie, not Chris. It's Warren, not Elizabeth.

Generally, this only breaks down when there is an especially high level of derision for the person. Like W instead of Bush.

It's generally considered respectful to use a politician's last name. So why are we all using Clinton's first name? Bill Clinton's not in the press, so it's really not confusing. Plus first names can be added as necessary, like I just did.

Sure, Clinton's referring to her campaign using her first name because she's trying to seem more friendly and approachable. But we don't have to follow suit.

ETA: Perhaps a better phrasing of this is "Why do we give Bill Clinton exclusive use of their last name?"