President Barack Obama is enjoying some of the highest ratings of his second term in office. A new Gallop Poll out on Thursday shows that 50 percent of Americans surveyed approve of the job he's doing in office -- his highest rating in that poll since early 2013.

Now I have my own theory on this. There are three things which I think have contributed to the upswing in President Obama’s approval rating:

The facts on the ground: The economy is humming along quite well. Things aren’t perfect, but America has come a very long way from the economic nightmare left by George W. Bush. Americans are beginning to notice and acknowledge President Obama’s steward handling of the economy especially given where we were when he came into office. Americans are also now realizing tangible benefits in their lives from things like the ACA which they directly attribute to President Obama.
The Republican Trainwreck: Needless to say the GOP is a walking disaster. Blinded by their hatred of America’s first African-American President, Republicans have eschewed any responsibility to govern, instead devoting their time and their energy to undermining the President at every turn with unprecedented obstruction. Now as the Presidential race gets underway, Americans are finally getting a peak into the deep pathology of the Republican party as the GOP seems poised to nominate a fascist short-fingered-vulgarian as their standard-bearer.
The Democratic Frontrunner: Hillary Clinton has made a full-throated embrace of President Obama on the campaign trail as she battles against Bernie Sanders to secure the Democratic Nomination. While some may not see a link between this and the rise Obama’s job approval rating, I believe there's a strong correlation…

Here’s why I believe Hillary has helped to boost President Obama’s approval rating:

Democrats, after years of right-wing media onslaught which sought to paint Obama as some sort of disastrous failure (despite all facts to the contrary), had become almost shy in defending the President’s great accomplishments in office. In fact some Democrats even tried to run away from the President in the midterms — to their own peril.

By strongly embracing Obama and promising to protect and build on his legacy, Hillary has lifted the morale of Democrats and provided the party an opportunity to rally around the President.

Hillary's embrace of Obama on the campaign trail is refreshing and instrumental. As the front runner for the nomination and effective standard-bearer for the party, her strong defense of Obama’s record has sent a powerful message to rank and file Democrats to rally around the President.

In fact the Gallop Poll article on HuffPost validates my argument:

The increased positive ratings in the Gallup poll are due to a higher proportion of Democrats and independents saying they approve of how Obama is doing in office. Since late December 2015 and early January 2016, the president has gained 6 percent in his approval rating among Democrats. He now has 87 percent approval among Democrats nationally. His ratings among independents have improved by 3 points, from 42 percent to 45 percent.

So as we see here, the uptick in President Obama’s rating is directly attributable to Democrats, as well as Democratic leaning independents, rallying around him. Hillary played a big role in this. Her strong defense of the President reminds Democrats, who may have become disillusioned with the propaganda from the right, that they have a President to be proud of who has accomplished a whole lot despite a hostile Republican opposition.

Yes, I know there is some political strategizing behind Hillary’s embrace of the President on the campaign trail. No, it doesn’t bother me one bit. This is politics at the end of the day. However, I do believe that Hillary has genuine respect and admiration for President Obama. She’s learned a lot from him since their epic battle for the Democratic nomination in 2008. The Obama-Clinton relationship is symbiotic of sorts — both sides benefit from it.

Embracing the President is a very smart move on Hillary’s part. Not only is it helpful in her fight for the democratic nomination, it also lays a strong foundation for her in the general election. No matter who emerges as the Democratic Nominee, perception of the sitting President will be a big factor in November’s election.

Republicans have already decided to themselves that Barack Obama is the worst President in U.S. History. No amount of facts will convince them otherwise. They’ve never really accepted him as a legitimate President. It is of utmost importance that the Democratic Nominee strongly defend the President while also making the case for her/himself to be President. Otherwise the Obama Coalition will not be motivated to turn out in November. Hillary is the candidate who best understands this.

This is one of many reasons why I’m with her.