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Yes We Can becomes No You Can't

Posted by anticsrocks • 10/02/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: 2016, chicago, obama, olympics, rejected

In his effort to secure the bid for Chicago as the site of the 2016 Olympics, Obama has suffered a setback. The Olympic Committee eliminated Chicago in the first round.

POTUS, FLOTUS & Oparah could not seal the deal. This has got to be embarrassing for El Presidente, and his handlers are already spinning it. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

One has to ask if Obama's constant apologizing for America has come back to haunt him on this one.

americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/chicago-rejected-in-first-round-of.h...

- and -

michellemalkin.com/2009/10/02/the-noble-%E2%80%9Csacrifice%E2%80%9D-of-mich...

User Comments

10/02/09

csiunatc

Not only did they not take it, they were the LEAST favorite of the entire bunch...

Epic Fail...

I can't help but thing that "Flotus" sounds like something you need a shot for... just saying..

[reply]
1. 10/02/09
  
  jeremyjanson
  
  I think they freaked out when Obama wore this T-shirt:
10/02/09

polybore

Brazil was the only country in the top 10 of the worlds largest economies (by GDP) to have never hosted the Olympics.

The Olympics have never been to South America.

Maybe Obama could have devoted more time to lobbying the Olympic committee. Tony Blair spent two days with them when London was awarded the 2012 Olympics. However considering the points detailed before it was always likely that Brazil would win. Also to be fair Obama probably does not have 2 days available in his schedule just now.

Apparently Obama's part of Chicago's presentation was the best bit. Unfortunately the rest of the presentation was very poor.

[reply]
1. 10/02/09
  
  jeremyjanson
  
  For starters, it's Chicago. 'Nough said.
2. 10/02/09
  
  clioandme
  
  I heard one person offer an appropriate burn about how harsh getting through immigration can be for guests entering the US. But this really wasn't about the US in a negative sense. It was about Brazil in a positive sense.
10/02/09

Agit8r

I guess the IOC expected bribes like got from Salt Lake City

[reply]
10/02/09

clioandme

Non issue. I'm glad Brazil got it. High time. More interesting, perhaps, is the 25-minute meeting Obama had with his Afghan commander while in Copenhagen.

[reply]
10/02/09

cooper

It's stretching it to say a setback. All the heads of state of the major contenders attended, if he hadn't attended and they lost everyone would be complaining about that. South America was preordained and you can bet, depending on how the World Cup goes in South African next year, that Africa will be in close running for the Olympics should they bid. The IOC is, crazy bunch from stories I've heard is leaning toward spreading the wealth globally these days.

[reply]
1. 10/02/09
  
  clioandme
  
  And Brazil is like the fifth most populous country in the world, after China, India, the US, and Indonesia, I believe. It's economy must be big too. And Rio is a world class city.
2. 10/02/09
  
  polybore
  
  10th largest GDP in the world and is only one of top 10 countries never to have hosted the Olympics.
10/02/09

omiller

Yes We Can becomes No You Can't! I see what you did there! That's clever! You should have been Palin's ghost writer!

[reply]
1. 10/02/09
  
  anticsrocks
  
  Well omiller I almost went with "The Ego Has Landed" but someone used that already.
10/02/09

csiunatc

Gotta love how everybody seems to think it so natural and obvious that Brazil should have gotten the Olympics.

Guess Obama and his advisers were the only ones not to see what a waste of time it would be to go.

[reply]
1. 10/02/09
  
  polybore
  
  Chicago was expected to be up against Rio at the end so Obama had to put in an appearance really like Chirac did for the last one.
  
  Nobody saw Madrid's tactic coming which undoubtedly had significant clout with the IOC. A nearly dead man's wish.
  
  "I know that I am very near the end of my time," Samaranch, who led the IOC for over two decades, said. "I am, as you know 89 years old. May I ask you to consider granting my country the honour and also the duty to organise the Games in 2016."
  
  So in the final analysis however sick they are feeling in Chicago. Imagine how lifetime honorary IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch is feeling. That is his reason for hanging on out the window.
10/02/09

clioandme

Some sour grapes here, and a massive sense of entitlement, as if this country had some special rights. What happened to fair play and a sense of sportsmanship? None of that where the Olympics is concerned? This thread on the main boards is more appropriate: blogcatalog.com/discuss/entry/congrats-brazil

[reply]
1. 10/02/09
  
  polybore
  
  The opening ceremony is going to be awesome. Not sure how US television will manage to broadcast it though. Your typical carnival costume makes Jackson's wardrobe malfunction look like she was wearing a tweed twin set and pearls.
2. 10/02/09
  
  anticsrocks
  
  So much for patriotic pride. Oh wait, I forgot those are dirty words to those of you on the far left.
3. 10/03/09
  
  Agit8r
  
  Polybore can make fun of us yanks as much as he wishes, so long as we can poke fun at his countrymen's teeth
4. 10/03/09
  
  anticsrocks
  
  As long as we don't hafta ask him, "Do I make you randy?"
10/03/09

NewBlogger2008

While it is pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things that the IOC did not pick Chicago to host the Olympics, it should send a pretty powerful message to Obama. As we know, Obama made a highly publicized visit to Copenhagen in which Obama's arrival was supposed to be like a rock star. The lesson that should be taken away from this is that if Obama's image and mere presence could not persuade some high and mighty IOC (who probably hates America anyway) to bring the Olympics to Chicago, then how is he going to persuade world leaders to follow him? Obama's mere presence has lost its effect because he is being over exposed and not really talking about anything new. On the world stage, he seems to be floundering even more. Especially after refusing to talk about Iran's hidden nuclear facility at Qom during the UNSC meeting, instead he talks about some ridiculous disarmament treaty as Iran is arming up. So Obama needs to stop relying on his image so much and needs to start acting.

[reply]
1. 10/03/09
  
  Agit8r
  
  why would we expect other nations "leaders" to follow ours?
  
  and people say I'M a crazy internationalist...
2. 10/03/09
  
  anticsrocks
  
  I think NewBlogger was pointing out that Obama wants other country's leaders to follow him - not that "we" expect them to.
10/09/09

Agit8r

darn... the world hates him so much

[reply]
1. 10/09/09
  
  clioandme
  
  Did you see the John Stewart segment on this on Monday. It had one group of conservatives cheering when Chicago didn't get it. It also had some talking heads on Fox bad-mouthing Chicago. The take-away line from the end of the segment went something like this: This just goes to show that conservatives hate Obama more than they love America.