Obama’s Rising Approval Isn’t Helping Clinton

Amy Walter: “President Obama has gotten a bump in his numbers, but they aren’t transferring to his party. Nor do they seem to be related to better feelings among Americans about the state of the economy or the direction of the country. In fact, the NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found Trump with a ten point advantage over Clinton on the question of who’d best ‘deal with the economy.'”

“At this point, at least, Americans seem to be making clear distinctions about their feelings of the president and those in his party. Yes, Hillary Clinton’s fate is tied somewhat to Obama’s success. The worse they feel about him and his Administration, the harder it is for her to convince Americans to support a third Democratic term in the White House. But, it’s also true that she has her own liabilities that make it difficult for Obama’s approval ratings to “transfer” to her. She represents not only the “status quo” but she’s a candidate with deep and enduring negatives that even a popular president can’t erase.”