Hillary Clinton's early foray into politics this far away from the 2016 presidential primaries surprises former Obama White House Press Secretary and campaign adviser Robert Gibbs – and he thinks she might want to distance herself from the two most recent Democratic presidents.
Appearing Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," Gibbs was asked by host David Gregory how she should position herself to President Barack Obama. She served four years as Obama's secretary of State and would likely want to have his winning coalition in her own camp.
"But the legacy of Obama could both help and hurt her," Gregory said. "How does she distinguish herself and have room to run?"
"Well, she has to distinguish herself from her husband, too, right?" Gibbs responded. "Listen, if her campaign becomes an extension really of either her husband's term or the current president's term, it's no necessarily a good deal for her."
Gibbs said he was "floored" that Clinton has decided to enter the fray so early in the process by making politically based speeches on voting rights.
"She could do the foundation work, she could do issue work, she could build the campaign," Gibbs said. "She could develop a message without having to be so far out front there."
Though she currently enjoys strong bipartisan approval ratings, those will fade quickly as she starts making political statements, Gibbs said.
NBC political reporter Jessica Taylor tweeted Gibbs' statement, and tweeters not likely in Clinton's camp responded:
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