There’s a certain art to complaining from a mansion. It requires a particular blindness to one’s own blessings, a cultivated sense of grievance that no amount of success can satisfy. Few have mastered this art quite like Michelle Obama — and honestly, at this point, I’m almost impressed by the commitment.

Since leaving the White House in 2017, the former First Lady has hardly faded into obscurity. There have been bestselling memoirs, a Netflix production deal reportedly worth tens of millions, a wildly successful podcast, and speaking fees that would make most Americans dizzy. She and Barack purchased an $11.75 million Martha’s Vineyard estate and an $8.1 million home in Washington D.C. Most people would call that winning at life. Michelle Obama calls it something else entirely.

Yet contentment remains elusive. She recently appeared on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast — yes, really, that’s where a former First Lady chooses to bare her soul now — to promote her latest venture. And true to form, she had grievances to air.

A Curious Complaint

From Michelle Obama on “Call Her Daddy”:

“I was a dean of students… All of that just disappeared in the course of this whole election and you now see me as just Barack Obama’s wife.”

I had to read that twice. One of the most recognizable women on the planet, someone who commanded global attention for eight years as First Lady, is lamenting that the world forgot she was once a dean of students at the University of Chicago. She traded a mid-level administrative position for a place in history — and she’s upset about it? What exactly did she think would happen?

The irony deepens. During this same interview, Michelle complained that the press focused too much on her fashion choices rather than her substance. The purpose of the appearance? Promoting her new book called “The Look” — a book about her fashion. You genuinely cannot make this stuff up.

What Has She Really Accomplished?

Conservative commentator Clay Travis captured what many of us were thinking: “The more Michelle Obama talks the sadder I feel for Barack Obama.” There’s something almost tragic about watching someone publicly diminish their spouse’s historic achievement — an achievement she campaigned tirelessly to help him secure.

This is the woman who stood before Democratic conventions and begged Americans to vote for her husband. Twice. Now she resents that they remember him? Where’s the gratitude for the extraordinary life his success afforded her?

Perhaps the real issue isn’t that America forgot who Michelle Obama was before the White House. Perhaps it’s that she never appreciated what she became because of it. Millions of hardworking Americans would gratefully trade their struggles for her so-called burdens. But gratitude has never been the currency of the perpetually aggrieved.

Some cages, it seems, are lined with gold — and still the bird complains about the bars.

Key Takeaways

• Michelle Obama complained about being known as Barack’s wife instead of a university dean of students
• She criticized media focus on her fashion while promoting a book literally about her fashion
• The Obamas have earned tens of millions since leaving the White House, yet grievances persist
• Gratitude remains in short supply among America’s most privileged progressive elites

Sources: Not the Bee