Howard Fineman: Hillary Is ‘Running for a Third Term of Barack Obama’

Fineman: I'm Not Sure She Wants To Admit It, But Hillary "Running For A Third Term Of Barack Obama" (RealClearPolitics)​

HOWARD FINEMAN: The analogy here historically is to George H.W. Bush as a follow-on to Reagan. And I remember when George H.W. Bush ran, the strategic imperative of his campaign.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: He wasn't a wimp. that was your magazine that tagged him a wimp. 

HOWARD FINEMAN: Yes, it was my magazine. And by the way, Barbara Bush has never forgotten. I think H.W. has. 

It was a follow on to Reagan. And the strategy was hug Reagan by the ankles. No daylight, Lee Atwater, his strategist, said. With a little kinder, gentler tweet. 

What is happening here is Hillary is effectively, as Perry is sort of indicating is for the most part going to be running for a third term of Barack Obama. I'm not sure she wants to admit that. 

But I think that's what it's going to be and to me that means it's going going to be. To be quite a negative campaign. 

H.W. ran a very negative campaign. He tore Mike Dukakis apart to protect the Reagan legacy. I think that's the position that Hillary is going to end up in as the protector of the Obama legacy.