On Friday, President Obama compared the 2016 Republican presidential candidates to the Internet’s Grumpy Cat, calling them “gloomy” and repeating the question he asked at an October 10 speech: “Why are so many Republican politicians so down on America?”
It’s a bizarre question from a politician who ran the original Grumpy Cat campaign seven years ago.
Remember, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America?” Remember the candidate’s spiritual mentor who preached: “No, no, no, not God Bless America. God damn America!” And this – from the woman who is now First Lady of the United States: “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country?”
President Obama came into office exploiting the resentments of a coalition who didn’t like the direction the country was going. After all, why would someone who is upbeat about America call for “hope and change?”
But here’s the most amazing thing. In Obama’s speech – the very same one in which he complained of “grumpy Republicans” – he said the following:
“When I took office, we were losing 800,000 jobs a month … more than 15 percent of Americans went without the security of health insurance … we were hopelessly addicted to foreign oil … our influence around the world was at a nadir; our standard was diminished.”
Sound like someone who is sunny about where America was in 2008?
The fact is, every opposition party criticizes the state of the country to explain the need for change. It’s kind of the point.
And has the Republican race this year been unusually gloomy for an outparty? Let’s see:
- Marco Rubio’s stirring words about the opportunity the country gave his family just one generation ago are sunny and grateful.
- Here’s Jeb Bush at the first debate, when he described his bold ambitions for four-percent economic growth: “I think we need to lift our spirits and have high, lofty expectations for this great country of ours.”
- Ben Carson’s announcement speech called America a “place of dreams for my mother,” and he described her impoverished life in which hard work, thrift, and faith in God allowed her to create a home in which one son grew up a literal brain surgeon and another a literal rocket scientist.
- Carly Fiorina told the “Chicks on the Right” blog “I’ve been very, very blessed to be born in this country and to have all of the incredible opportunities that this country provides.”
- Even Donald Trump, whose criticisms of the nation’s present state have garnered much attention, owes much of his popularity to his confidence in our American ingenuity and capability.
President Obama’s probably chose his Grumpy Cat imitation in recognition of the fact that Americans are drawn to optimistic presidential candidates – from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan. But please, it’s beneath the dignity of a U.S. President to make faces for any reason.
David Benkof is Senior Political Analyst at the Daily Caller. Follow him on Twitter (@DavidBenkof) or E-mail him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.