Rand Paul has removed some references to himself as “senator” from his websites and official Twitter account, and replaced the honorific with “doctor”, in an apparent rebranding to increase his appeal as a presidential candidate.
Paul, who was a practicing ophthalmologist for two decades before running for Senate in 2010, may be on to something.
In a 2009 Gallup poll, 73% of respondents said they were confident in their doctors’ recommendations for healthcare reform, while less than half that many, 34%, expressed confidence in Republicans in Congress.
Paul is both a doctor and a Republican in Congress. But on Twitter, apparently as of today, he is only the former. His erstwhile handle, @senrandpaul, has been retired, although its archived tweets now surface in the @randpaul account. To wit:
. @BarackObama to @Pontifex: Forgive me father for I have spied. #NSA
— Dr. Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 27, 2014
Some of Paul’s campaign materials retain references to his current day job; see, for example, the screen shot below, which captures one reference each to the man’s two titles.
