Obama wants you to know he also didn't like Clinton once

Hillary Clinton and President Obama in 2009.
(Image credit: Feng Li/Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton has a likeability problem: In May, over half the voting population — 55 percent — viewed her negatively. Now her former opponent is stepping up to the plate to say, "Hey, I too once disliked Clinton, and this is why she won me over."

President Obama has clearly been itching to get on the campaign trail in support of Clinton, whom he beat in the 2008 Democratic primary. Still, concerned by how much of Clinton's base comes from people simply voting for who they perceive to be the lesser of two evils, Politico writes that Obama's goal going forward is to "[remind] voters there was a time he didn't like her so much, but he came around — and they should too."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.