Hillary Clinton Might Be Wondering: What's President Obama Up To?
Officially neutral, the president seems to be sending mixed signals on a potential Democratic nomination fight between his former secretary of state and Vice President Joe Biden.
Sep 15, 2015 5:00 AM EDT
President Barack Obama says he has no preference in the Democratic fight to succeed him. Hillary Clinton could be forgiven for having her doubts.
Officially Obama hasn’t taken a position in the potential contest between two of the most prominent members of his “Team of Rivals” cabinet. But he doesn't seem to be doing anything to discourage Vice President Joe Biden from upending the Democratic presidential race by making a run against Clinton, Obama's first secretary of state.
Since the start of September, the White House has dispatched Biden on photo-op trips to Democratic bastions in Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, and this week, California, Michigan, and Ohio. Last week, Biden met in New York with Robert Wolf, a top Wall Street fundraiser for Obama. And last Wednesday, when Obama took Biden’s wife, Jill, on a trip to Michigan to promote the idea of free community college, he reminded the audience of his feelings toward his vice president.
“Love Joe Biden.”
President Barack Obama
“Her husband is not so bad, either. He’s OK,” Obama deadpanned. “Love Joe Biden.”
Aides insist that Obama is neutral on the Democratic presidential nomination battle: “The president's got his own long agenda that he's focused on right now,” White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters last month. But it's hard to imagine that he doesn't have an interest in ensuring the party field the strongest possible candidate to continue his legacy. And after initially seeming to show favor to Clinton—with a private meeting at the White House just before she announced and what to many sounded like a near-endorsement when she announced—Team Obama now seems to be sending different signals, as controversy over Clinton's e-mails continues, her poll numbers plummet, and Biden, still mourning the death of his son Beau, openly agonizes about whether he's ready to make his third presidential campaign.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-09-15/hillary-clinton-might-be-wondering-what-s-barack-obama-up-to-