. Obama won his first term. Credit Damon Winter/The New York Times
Hillary Clinton will hold her first joint rally with President Obama on Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C., an event signaling the start of a flurry of political activity by Mr. Obama to help elect his former rival and vanquish Donald J. Trump.
For Mrs. Clinton, appearing with the man who defeated her eight years ago and under whom she served as secretary of state reflects the evolution of one of the most delicate relationships in Democratic politics.
From its inception, her campaign has been walking on eggshells in dealing with the White House, trying not to overly irritate Mr. Obama in the fog of the hard-fought Democratic primary contest in which she was frequently pulled to the left of administration policies. His endorsement of Mrs. Clinton and eagerness to campaign for her signal that Mr. Obama will throw his full weight — and popularity — behind her.
On Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton will join Mr. Obama for the ride from Washington to Charlotte on Air Force One, a potent symbol of the president’s support for the woman he hopes will succeed him.
Protecting her relationship with the White House has been imperative for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Obama remains wildly popular among Democrats and, in particular, the black voters who helped Mrs. Clinton defeat Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Mrs. Clinton won more than 77 percent of the vote among blacks through the May 10 contests, according to exit polls.
In a general election, Mr. Obama can assist Mrs. Clinton in states that have historically leaned Republican, like North Carolina, where an increasingly diverse population helped Mr. Obama capture the state’s 15 electoral votes in 2008. He lost the state to Mitt Romney in 2012.
In a sign of the coming fight there, Mr. Trump has plans for his own rally on Tuesday in Raleigh to criticize Mr. Obama’s tenure and portray a Clinton presidency as four more years of the status quo.
While every election is said to be about the future, even some Republicans see risks in Mr. Trump’s strategy.
“President Obama’s approval rating is 52 percent,” said Christine Matthews, a Republican strategist. “What Donald Trump doesn’t understand,” she added, “is in a general election, not everyone wants to blow things up.”
To that end, on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and the Keystone XL pipeline, Mrs. Clinton has walked a careful line of disagreeing with the president, or tilting further to the left, without denouncing his policies outright.
Senior campaign aides — including John D. Podesta, Jennifer Palmieri and Kristina Schake, all of whom worked in the Obama administration — have kept the White House abreast of Mrs. Clinton’s positioning and moves, especially when they might cause discomfort between the two Democrats.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/u...ell&WT.nav=bottom-well&hpw&rref=politics&_r=0
Hillary Clinton will hold her first joint rally with President Obama on Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C., an event signaling the start of a flurry of political activity by Mr. Obama to help elect his former rival and vanquish Donald J. Trump.
For Mrs. Clinton, appearing with the man who defeated her eight years ago and under whom she served as secretary of state reflects the evolution of one of the most delicate relationships in Democratic politics.
From its inception, her campaign has been walking on eggshells in dealing with the White House, trying not to overly irritate Mr. Obama in the fog of the hard-fought Democratic primary contest in which she was frequently pulled to the left of administration policies. His endorsement of Mrs. Clinton and eagerness to campaign for her signal that Mr. Obama will throw his full weight — and popularity — behind her.
On Tuesday, Mrs. Clinton will join Mr. Obama for the ride from Washington to Charlotte on Air Force One, a potent symbol of the president’s support for the woman he hopes will succeed him.
Protecting her relationship with the White House has been imperative for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Obama remains wildly popular among Democrats and, in particular, the black voters who helped Mrs. Clinton defeat Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Mrs. Clinton won more than 77 percent of the vote among blacks through the May 10 contests, according to exit polls.
In a general election, Mr. Obama can assist Mrs. Clinton in states that have historically leaned Republican, like North Carolina, where an increasingly diverse population helped Mr. Obama capture the state’s 15 electoral votes in 2008. He lost the state to Mitt Romney in 2012.
In a sign of the coming fight there, Mr. Trump has plans for his own rally on Tuesday in Raleigh to criticize Mr. Obama’s tenure and portray a Clinton presidency as four more years of the status quo.
While every election is said to be about the future, even some Republicans see risks in Mr. Trump’s strategy.
“President Obama’s approval rating is 52 percent,” said Christine Matthews, a Republican strategist. “What Donald Trump doesn’t understand,” she added, “is in a general election, not everyone wants to blow things up.”
To that end, on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and the Keystone XL pipeline, Mrs. Clinton has walked a careful line of disagreeing with the president, or tilting further to the left, without denouncing his policies outright.
Senior campaign aides — including John D. Podesta, Jennifer Palmieri and Kristina Schake, all of whom worked in the Obama administration — have kept the White House abreast of Mrs. Clinton’s positioning and moves, especially when they might cause discomfort between the two Democrats.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/06/u...ell&WT.nav=bottom-well&hpw&rref=politics&_r=0
