WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama’s politically risky Olympics gamble failed to bring home the gold on Friday, with the Olympics committee’s refusal to grant the 2016 Summer Games to his hometown Chicago.
The president, whose even-tempered personality has earned him the nickname “No Drama Obama,” broke from that mold to make an overnight dash from Washington to Copenhagen to personally lobby for Chicago.Obama and his wife, Michelle, had taken their star power to the Danish capital to make Chicago’s case, ignoring the carping from Republican opponents who charged it was a bad time to go with foreign policy challenges in Iran and Afghanistan and the U.S. Congress bogged down in a domestic healthcare debate.
“I’m asking you to choose Chicago. I’m asking you to choose America,” Michelle Obama told committee members. The Republican National Committee chairman, Michael Steele, was unsparing in his criticism in a statement issued before the decision was announced and on a day when the U.S. jobless rate rose to 9.8 percent, a 26-year high.
“As President Obama travels to Copenhagen to bring the Summer Olympics to his hometown seven years from now, Americans back home are increasingly concerned they won’t have a job seven months from now as they see more and more of their neighbors and friends lose jobs today,” Steele said.
Overnight dash to Copenhagen fails.
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This was the first time an American President had directly lobbied to get the Olympics. But other countries have been using their Presidents and Prime Ministers to do the same for years.
I the think the guy from Spain was telling everyone he’s 89-years-old so they should give it to Madrid before he dies.
It’s all Oprah’s fault. She should have offered to just buy the Olympics.
BTW, London is spending $14 billion to do the 2012 Olympics. (Originally budgeted at around $9 billion.)
Does anyone seriously believe that Chicago could have done the 2016 Olympics for $5 billion ?
No one makes money from the Olympics except for the IOC and friends.
30, I think it has something to do with his misplaced priorities given the economic situation we are experiencing.
Obama is experiencing the same sort of economic situation as Reagan, but yet Obama gets a pass from the media.
I think the Obama’s + Oprah Winfrey (WTF?!?!) did more harm to Chicago’s chances than good.
Plus, Chicago has huge financial issues…the IOC did Chicago a FAVOR by not selecting them. Saved from a financial hole.
And you know, with it being Chicago, the whole thing of all the venue’s that need to be constructed…the amount of graft and corruption would have been rampant.
I think the IOC cut Chicago BECAUSE of Obama more than anything else.
#4
snip-
“I hope he didn’t use taxpayer dollars to bring a sporting event to the city of Chicago.”
Hosting an Olympics creates Boo Koo jobs and some times Boo Koo money plus helps in world standing I’d have been disappointed if he didn’t try to help.
snip-
“when he should be worrying about a nuclear armed Iran, an economy in shambles and finding time to speak with his general in Afghanistan more than once.”
Rest assured he is worrying about all of those things(I even thought Bush gave these topics a lot of hard work) and has continuous commutations with Gen. Stanley McChrystal.
“We know where his priorities are. It’s not with the problems we face as a nation.’
Just what to (we?) just what do YOU think his priorities are then?
#17 Dr Dodd
“For his entire presidency Obama has been going around the world apologizing and telling everyone how much America sucks. Why would he now expect anyone to pick Chicago?”
Odd thing to say since Barack Obama. election America’s image has improved in most parts of the world.
Yes we like all Countries have made a few mistakes. I was taught when you make a mistake you fix it(if possible) apologize and move on. Guess you were taught to keep making it and make believe is was never a mistake.
#24
Did anyone really think Obama would have made a difference in the voting?
Not really but given all the Jobs at steak it was worth a try.
Rio de Janeiro cool I’m looking forward to the coverage.
#32 Chuck…there are some details you may not be aware of…Chicago already has most of the facilities it needed, the village is already going to be built as public/low-cost housing anyway.
IMO the IOC saw the depravity going on in our politics and ran away. Thanks, Republicans.
Having the Olympics 90 miles away from me would have been great.
Chitown was a terrible choice of venue for the Olympics in the first place. If you’ve ever been there, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Obama was looking for a political victory, and the IOC was looking for an Olympic host city. Thus tossing out Chitown in the first vote.
So the GOP found something else to bitch about – Obama crosses the street to pitch for America. Oh the madness.
That Michael Steele guy is not turning out to be a very magical negro for the GOP.
The main reason that the IOC rejected any bid by the USA to host the Olympics:
It is incredibly difficult to obtain a visa and travel to the USA as a tourist. The Customs inspections and regulations are ridiculous compared to the rest of the world.
My heartiest congratulations to the great city of Rio de Janeiro and to the people of Brazil. The world needs your nation’s inspiration, vibrancy, enthusiasm for the modern and it’s people’s zest for life. These will be the most exciting Olympics, since the Los Angeles.
Who needs the fucking Olympics anyway? I’m just glad the obamas look like losers.
>Did anyone really think Obama would have made a difference in the voting? What arrogance!!
Apparently Obama did. Why else did he go.
Everyone assumed he was tipped of that Chicago was winning, and he wanted to share in the glow.
Top 5 reasons why Chicago didn’t win the bid:
5. Oprah insisted that Stedman light the Olympic torch.
4. ACORN did the vote count.
3. IOC creeped out when Oprah and Gale starting making out.
2. Roman Polanski given a veto by France.
1. Obama insisted on kick-back from IOC. Says this is the “Chicago” way.
Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
At least our current President can concentrate on more than one thing at a time, and he isn’t spending taxpayers’ money “cutting brush,” on his “ranch” in Texass!
Why isn’t it stated as America loses bid? Why do people keep erroneously referring to our government as “The Obama Administration”?
You may accurately say “The Government” or “Washington” but it’s absolutely not Obama’s administration.
The administration is THE PEOPLE’S.
I’m sick of everyone referring to the government as having belonged to Bush or now belonging to Obama.
IT’S NOT HIS. STOP SAYING THAT.
#45 – I partially agree with you. It is the “people’s” government. We elected them to run the government and manage the affairs of the country.
But Obama is the “top” administrator, so he is ultimately responsible for the actions of the government. – The buck stops here.
I do wish people would stop referring to the President as the “leader” of the country. We don’t vote for leaders. And he doesn’t “lead” the country. He simply is the Chief Executive – of the government. So he’s the top manager.
So at the moment it is the Obama administration (at least the executive office). And you can blame Bush for the last administration (even though Democrats had majorities in both the Senate and the House and did vote to support both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.)
We can even blame Bush for the current economic screw-up. But if Obama doesn’t get us out of it, then it’s Obama that will be the blame.
#45 – and while we’re at it, I’d like it if our elected officials stopped acting as if they did own the government.
#36 – then this is good news for Chicago – instead of waiting until 2016 for public/low-cost housing, they can just build it now. Jobs, jobs, jobs, and jobs. Yaaaaaaaaay!
How about Detroit next time?
The world has seen enough of the hatred that’s going on in the USA… The violence in Rio pales in comparison. Congratulations Rio!!
It’s good that with Rio, now South America will get a share of the corruption, cost overruns and debt that the rest of us get from the Olympics.
Huzzah!
TSA! TSA! TSA!
What’s next, Astronaut Obama? Oh, my bad, he’s already spent months in orbit.
#9 – jbenson2 – Hitler actually landed the Olympics for Berlin.
Hitler was not in power when Germany won the bid for the 1936 summer games.
I Choo Choo Choose you.
I kid, really. Congrats Rio.
#25 – spinnyd – When do the Democrats start saying it was Racial?
What? Are we talking about shades now? Obama’s not dark enough? Damn Pelé.
I’d like a show of hands…how many people think that Obama hasn’t kept any of his campaign promises…. you know “no lobbyists in HIS government” “open and honest government” “no ties to big business” “to not be like the last administration”.
I’m just not seeing it. Dismay, and disgust.
Chicago? Why would he want the Olympics in Chicago? Payback to his old cronies?
I hate the Olympics…but in this case, I’d cheer them.
The Rio Olympic Committee just knew how to bribe the IOC Selection Committee better than we did. I’m sure they took hints from Utah on what to do. Now it will be Rio’s problem of how to hide and whitewash the huge slums they have there, the city will get it’s 15 minutes of city fame and there will be endless shots of the bikini babes on the beaches for the Olympic sportscasters to comment on. We’ll dominate the medal count like we always do, there will be a scandal or two, a feel good story or ten and then everything goes back to normal.
This past July was the 25th anniversary of the L.A. Olympics. I believe it made money. I lived in L.A. during that time and none of the predictions of the gloom and doom naysayers were correct. It was a great time, in a great city, for a great event. I hope it comes back to L.A. in my lifetime.
#58″I’d like a show of hands…how many people think that Obama hasn’t kept any of his campaign promises….”
He is accurately doing much better than most recent Presidents after less than one year in office.