Will a Hillary Clinton presidency be a third Obama term?

This suggests a dynamic for the 2016 presidential campaign, assuming that Clinton is a candidate and the Democratic nominee. Clinton needs to be seen as running for the third Clinton term, not the third Obama term. And Republicans need to convince voters that she is running for the third Obama term, not the third Clinton term. They need to argue that she doesn’t differ from Obama’s policies and priorities.

So far, she hasn’t signaled much in the way of disagreement, and in Democratic primaries — assuming she runs and has some significant opposition — it will be in her interest not to signal any such disagreements: the Democratic primary electorate is solidly pro-Obama. The press can legitimately try to press Clinton on how she differs from the incumbent. But there’s not likely to be much appetite among the mainstream media in doing anything that would injure Clinton’s chances. That leaves room for Republicans to argue, in this pre-nomination period, that a Hillary Clinton presidency would be a third Obama term.