Before the election, President Obama campaigned for Hillary Clinton by reciting the many achievements of his administration: economic recovery, rebuilt auto industry, 15 million new jobs, less foreign oil, cheap gas, more clean energy, fewer troops overseas, Osama bin Laden dead, agreements on climate change and Iran’s nukes, higher incomes, less poverty, same-sex marriage legalized, millions more insured. “Thanks, Obama!” he said, appropriating the meme his critics used ironically.
But Americans thought the country was on the wrong track, and voters demanded change. They rejected Obama’s handpicked successor in favor of the man who led the campaign challenging Obama’s legitimacy as a natural-born American.
Since the election, Obama has continued, in statements and in a year-end news conference, to recite his achievements.
