THE HILL: Clinton’s third-term dilemma.
Hillary Clinton faces a unique dilemma on the 2016 campaign trail: How much to embrace President Obama, and how much to run away from him.
Obama remains a relatively popular figure, with a 51 percent approval rating from Gallup and a 90 percent approval rating among Democrats.
Yet public opinion on the Obama economic record is decidedly mixed. Sixty-five percent of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, according to the Real Clear Politics average, while 27 percent say the country is on the right track.
The polling and data can sometimes seem contradictory. Only 42 percent in an Associated Press poll last month described the U.S. economy as good, but two-thirds said their own households were doing well.
Obama can hardly wait to get on the campaign trail with Clinton, and the presumptive Democratic nominee is happy to have him. The two will campaign together for the first time this Thursday in Wisconsin, a state where Clinton will be favored this fall.
Yet Clinton has handled questions about the Obama economy with the care of a politician who can see downsides to fully embracing Obama.
Both Clinton and Hillary always rise in the polls when they’re out of the news. It’ll be interesting to see what effect a big joint campaign swing has.