Senator Barkley?
Anyone besides me find Dean Barkley's
prominent use of "Senator" in his current U.S. Senate campaign awkward,
if not in bad form? All 2008 Barkley campaign communications refer to
him as "Senator." Then there's his newly launched web site: senatorbarkley.com.
Certainly traditional protocol does provide that former elected
officials forever retain their titles. Informally, though, that
protocol has evolved to dropping the title when the politician moves on
to a different field. For example, both former Governors Wendy Anderson and Arne Carlson
are still routinely called "Governor." But in the years Anderson
practiced law and lobbied for the Larkin, Hoffman firm, "Governor" was
dropped because it blurred his then-current role as an attorney
advocate. Another example is Mike Hatch. No one calls him "Attorney General" now that he's practicing law at the firm of Blackwell & Burke.
After serving in the Senate, Barkley went on to work as a contract
lobbyist at the Minnesota legislature and he then managed the 2006 Texas
gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman's campaign. [Friedman received only 12% of the vote despite memorable campaign slogans like his stated goal of the "dewussification of Texas."] Nobody called Barkley "Senator" when he held those jobs. We're guessing Barkley did not insist on "Senator" in his Match.com personal ad.
Maybe our "bad form" sense stems from the fact that Barkley was
appointed to the U.S. Senate in the chaos that became the 2002 Senate
race after the Wellstone plane crash. At the exact same time, mere days from the election, as Norm Coleman and Walter Mondale were having their one and only debate downtown St. Paul at the Fitzgerald Theater, Gov. Jesse Ventura was up the hill at the Capitol appointing Barkley. Barkley was officially a U.S. Senator for only two months.
One final thought. Barkley, as he has done in all his campaigns, is
running as the anti-establishment candidate. Doesn't "Senator" scream
establishment?!
Morning Reports
Yes, it's "Senator Barkley"
While it may be a little tacky to use a title that he only used for one month in a lame duck session of congress, it is almost certainly not inappropriate. Or unheard of. You correctly point out that former governors Wendy Anderson and Arne Carlson do not use their former titles in the private sector, though incorrectly disregard the reason why they are each informally referred to as "governor." Whenever they are acting in their capacity as distinguished former statesmen, or in any way interacting with their respective parties, they are referred to as "governor."
In other words, former statesmen drop their titles when they re-enter the private sector, but pick them back up when they re-enter the public sector once again. Now, with that in mind, think carefully about this: do you believe that running for the very Senate seat that Barkley once held, no matter how briefly, constitutes "re-entering the public sector?"
Good Distinction
Good distinction, dcawley.
If Wendy Anderson was dropping a puck, say, at the X, he would always be be referred to as Govenorer Anderson. Same for Carlson if he was cutting a ribbon somewhere.
Your question is intriguing. I suppose Barkley technically is re-entering the public sector. I just don't think of it, that way, and I bet most people, don't either.