A former aide to President Obama issued a back-handed compliment to Hillary Clinton, saying that the Democratic presidential candidate is like former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen, the NBA’s all-time best second fiddle, while President Obama and former President Clinton are like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
Dan Pfeiffer, a longtime Obama adviser, made the sports analogy in a Washington Post article exploring why Clinton’s campaign seems to be struggling.
While asserting that he believes Clinton’s problems surrounding her email scandal “are greatly overstated,” Pfeiffer admitted that “she isn’t as natural a politician as Barack Obama or Bill Clinton.”
“But that’s like saying Scottie Pippen isn’t as talented as Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson,” Pfeiffer added.
Pippen spent most of his career playing in the shadow of Jordan, a five-time MVP. The pair won six NBA championships together. But Jordan is considered by most to be one of the top-five NBA players of all time. Johnson, who won five championships with the L.A. Lakers, is also considered one of the best to ever play the game.
But Clinton shouldn’t be too worried, according to Pfeiffer.
“She is as good or better than just about everyone in the current GOP field,” he said.
Others quoted in The Post article expressed concern over Clinton’s sub-par campaigning skills.
“She has always been awkward and uninspiring on the stump,” an anonymous senior Democratic consultant told the paper. “Hillary has Bill’s baggage and now her own as secretary of state — without Bill’s personality, eloquence or warmth.”