Story highlights Obama asked, "why is it that Republican politicians are so down on America?"

"I mean, they are -- they are gloomy," Obama added, eliciting laughter from crowd. "They're like Grumpy Cat."

Washington (CNN) President Barack Obama isn't running for office in 2016, but he's already jumping into his role as campaigner-in-chief with enthusiasm -- likening the Republicans to "Grumpy Cat," the Internet meme depicting the notoriously unhappy feline.

On Friday, Obama was fired up as he took the stage at the Democratic National Committee's Women's Leadership Forum here, slamming Republican presidential candidates for their pessimistic rhetoric on the trail.

Citing "enormous progress" made during his presidency, Obama asked, "why is it that Republican politicians are so down on America?"

"I mean, they are -- they are gloomy," he added, eliciting laughter from crowd. "They're like Grumpy Cat."

The comparison was accompanied by an imitation of the Grumpy Cat frown -- an image familiar to fans of the Internet meme that ultimately spawned a product line and a Christmas movie.

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