Friday, October 2, 2009

Barack Obama No Tony Blair As Chicago Loses in First Round of Olympic Voting (UPDATED)

Well, it looks like the magic may have officially left Camelot. After putting their personal and political reputations on the line, Mr. & Mrs. Obama failed to do what former British Prime Minister Tony Blair was able to do: bring home the Olympics.

I dunno, maybe despite how much Obama has done in terms of apologizing for the United States under George W., maybe the world just isn't ready to forgive us.

No doubt we'll have a few days of blame, second-guessing and finger-pointing as to why Chicago was canned in the very first round. But not everyone supported the bid, and now perhaps those people that stood up and argued that the Olympics would distract the City from tending to things like improving education, fighting crime, ending corruption and reforming the budget, may get some more traction.

On the other hand, I just spoke with an associate of mine in our Philly office and he wasn't even aware that President Obama had gone to Copenhagen to pitch for the Olympics. A little perspective on all this is always a good idea.

UPDATED: Point/counterpoint: Zorn tries to shield Obama from Olympic blame, Pearson says tag him.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

defeat of olympics is really good for gop. democrats have no shiny objects to distract voters and media with anymore. They now have to defend all their failures and all their idiocy. This is the first thing fat old europeans have done for republicans since they let the berlin wall fall down under bush's father's watch.

let the donkey beheaddings/blood lettings begin! Also great to see michelle obama, oprah, and valerie jarrett fall flat on their (looking chubby) faces on the international stage.

FOKLAES

Anonymous said...

FOKLAES right on. I was so happy I yelled out a great loud "all right"at KFS this morning.

Perhaps now the man living in the big white house in DC will realize he's not king of the world like he thinks he is. My view was it was big time overkill-- the wife, Oprah, and the king-- and just may have turned the members off. Not only that it's the politics in Chicago and it's way of doing business. I couldn't be happier.

Off for knee replacement next week so I won't be around. Don't know what I'll miss more -- volunteering at KFS or your posts. Gosh darn it I have to meet you in person.

Baxter and Beau's Mom

Anonymous said...

Word is Governor Quinn is a appointing a Blue Ribbon Panel to investigate that vote!

Louis G. Atsaves

Anonymous said...

now we can have a meat and potatoes discussion about issues in the state instead of focusing on the quality of the fancy sauvignon blanc that comes with dessert.

Team, it's 16 weeks to go day on pup's latest push for the 10th biscuit he's been chasing for 6 years and you've been awfully nice on him lately, too nice for FOKLAES. I hope this senate thing hasn't made you into a weak knee guy. I don't trust the ancient lefty gizzard hamos to put this pup down herself. We need to help her.

What company is he working for? Are his clients sham donors? How can he afford to live in the 9th district with 3 kids and no job for 6 years? Is he still paying himself from his campaign fund? Why has he not moved into the 10th, perhaps chelsea stanley can send him some job and home listings of affordable homes in the district.

FOKLAES

Anonymous said...

Kind of curious hwy folks keep mentioning tht canidadtes for Congress don't live in the District.
The the way the law is written allows for it.
If it's such a big deal, why not petition the elected folks to change the law or start a referendum drive or something.

To keep harping on the the candidate's residency when there is no legal challenge to be made doesn't accomplish much.

Maybe focusing on a candidates position on issues or his or her ideas would be of more value.

Anonymous said...

dan's a serial liar which is why the democrats have never given him the backing they gave duckworth and bean.

his residency is a major issue. the longest line on his resume is failed unemployed congressionla candidate living off of special interest goodies.

FOKLAES

Matt Mahoney said...

Why do you Republicans hate America so much?

What happened to your patriotism? Does it only apply when there's a Republican majority?

Shame on all of you. Shame on your divisiveness, shame on your gloating that Chicago lost just so you could blame it on President Obama.

You are the losers.

Joe said...

Matt, what the hell do you expect from a bunch of morans who listen to Rush & Glenn Beck?

When you consider that half the American population has an IQ of 100 or less, you've got to wonder how the 10th district ended up with so many of these Republican morans. Why the hell do they continually vote against their best interest? Do they really think the GOP gives a crap about them?

Crazy4glf said...

You're right. Obama is no Tony Blair. Obama was against the war in Iraq from the get-go. He also doesn't live in a country with a monarchy and an official religion.

Also, just because one international organization chose to go with a different city does not mean there is disdain or a lack of hope for Obama.

I can recall a time when a President said 'we' didn't need the international community to like us, be with us, etc and that polls don't matter. My how the times are changing.

The defeat of the olympics, in my humble opinion is good for everyone in our neck of the woods; even if you are not a Republican. The traffic managment, portable stadium, and temporary infrastructure proposals were not desirable, sustainable, or transparent.

(You see, moderates/progressives can deviate from what other Dem's want and still live to tell about it without blaming it on their constituents or other maladies.)

To politicize or make partisan a decision made probably before Obama even left Washington is a stretch. That said, I wouldn't have necessarily attributed Chicago getting the games to Obama, either. There are too many factors that are outside the control of Obama. He's not the decider for goodness sakes and thank God for that.

Anonymous said...

Sorry we live on the north shore, send our kids to the fanciest public schools in the state, have much better degrees than you, and make way more than you.

I'm sorry you will now have to work for a living and get a job that isn't tied to your work for the 32nd ward but at the end of the day it's better you have a mayor being held accountable for failing to educate your kids and a disgraceful u.s. senate campaign on the dem side being forced to be won on issues rather than latvian javelin.

For the record, glenn beck and rush may be right of center wackos but at least they're not in government.

Your wackos:comrade jan, blago, ron "i'm a former cop but all the kids in my school system leave with bullets in them rather than college degrees" huberman, rahm "i hate israel"emanuel, al "lauren beth gash tried to fund my radio network but failed" franken are all on the taxpayer doll.

suckas!

FOKLAES

Anonymous said...

"Sorry we live on the north shore, send our kids to the fanciest public schools in the state, have much better degrees than you, and make way more than you."

I am sick and tired of the elitist snobbery shown by some folks here. Do you really want to alienate conservative folks who "only" graduated from state schools, or don't have the means to live in the New Trier school district?

- blue-collar conservative

tikkunolam said...

And FOKLAES, don't you live in DC anyways? :-P

Anonymous said...

the target isn't blue collar conservatives it's democrats that were using the games to distract Illinois from their failure. I'm sorry for talking out of my ellen and sounding like a limosuine liberal.

tikkun wasn't your computer time taken away for mouthing off?

FOKLAES

tikkunolam said...

Well, maybe. But I'll note, you didn't answer my question.

Old Oak said...

Thanks again Foklaes and the rest of the boobs here. To revel in disappointment, work tirelessly for stagnation, advocate for status quo, and obstruct progress are the hallmarks of the Lake County GOP and this blog's devotees. As to your impressive degrees, I think you got in to those schools via pay-offs. The posts by Foklaes lack even basic logic or pedestrian understanding of the people around us. Instead you offer bile-driven vitriol.

It was a great pleasure to forward today's post with a note to check the comments to families all throughout the 10th whose children were members of the Chicago 2016 Youth Committee. Julie Hamos should send you dorks a thank you card!

Anonymous said...

"To revel in disappointment, work tirelessly for stagnation, advocate for status quo, and obstruct progress are the hallmarks of the Lake County GOP and this blog's devotees."

WAIT A MINUTE! That sounds like Springfield? Cook County Government? City of Chicago Government?

Whoa!

I love it when the Democratic Zombies invade!

Louis G. Atsaves

Team America said...

Blue Praire- be sure to send all those limousine liberals on your mailing list a copy of John Kass's column too, so they can get REALLY angry.

Anonymous said...

Blue Prarie,

1. Thank you. We want to face julie. I'm happy to write more facts about her mentor richie daley and his corruption and her standing for it.

2. You have to have been educated in the chicago public school system to believe that the olympics were something other than a cover up for mayor daley.

3.I loved seeing the obamas-you catch the size of michelle's elle-wow, begging at the feet of prince albert of monaco only to get spanked. It was a great day for reform in illinois to see that even fat corrupt olympic stooges couldn't be bought by an awful chicago democrat machine.

4. FOKLAES is also predicting a major civil war breaking out between rahm and valerie jarett. According to my sources in the west wing, ol rahm was totally against this collapse in copenhagen. Jarett was for it and has egg all over her.

FOKLAES

Anonymous said...

also blue,

you can let your jewish friends in the peoples republic of 10th democrats meetings know that obama is now at 4 percent popularity in israel.

96 percent of jews in israel hate obama.

ouch.

foklaes

Crazy4glf said...

After giving us his CV and crowning achievements, Foklaes should know that there is no over-arching, consistent, or UNIVERSAL Jewish opinion, Italian opinion, or Hispanic opinion on almost anything. Put three (insert ethnicity here) in a room, ask one question and get four different answers.

To continue to bash the President based on statistics from studies that are not provided is questionable.

A recent study shows that one can get statistics to prove anything:) Who funded a study, how was the question worded, who was asked the question, etc can have significant effects on the study's outcome.

For example, I'd prefer a Gallup study to a Fox/CNN/WSJ study any day of the week.

Also, Israel has a coalition form of government. Hence, it can be expected that there are a variety of opinions, beliefs, and policies that cannot be summed up in one poll.

IF we were to use Foklaes logic, a recent study showed that 64% of American Jews favor Obama as President and his policies. Of course, it is unclear to me who funded the study, when it occurred, and what the population was. (http://www.GALLUP.com/poll/123413/U.S.-Jews-Lead-Religious-Groups-Support-Obama.aspx)

It could also be argued that Obama's concern for a safety net, for a healthy productive workforce, and for adherence to sound judgement, a modicum of regulation, and a shared purpose is in-line with how at least some view Judaic and possibly Christian teaching.

As opposed to effigies, heated rhetoric, and stagnation.

Anonymous said...

Crazy,

you, mex zombies tempkin, pup, prarie blue, pup ,the really ol'gizzard hamos, catwoman,tikun are the best things the gop has going for it these days aside from our candidates like mark and dominant dan segrue.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251145138121&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

what's better, 54 percent of american jews want to bomb bomb bomb iran. That's in direct contrast to dan achmadijad seals and julie basji mahmoud hamos who want Israel to just suck it up and get nuked.

no word yet on whether Alexi can find Israel on a map, we know he can find the mob to give loans to though. But at least he plays 3 on 3 with people that do.

FOKLAES

Anonymous said...

Apparently it's not just those people on this blog that were skeptical of the Chicago Olympic bid.

Anonymous said...

not a shock

Dick Green, a Republican candidate in an open Chicago-area House seat, said he has not found the transition quite that seamless. Green, who founded the financial information website Briefing.com, likened the move from business to politics to “jumping into a cold swimming pool.”

“It’s a whole different ball game,” Green said. “When you run a business, you’re in charge. I’m trying to run for a position where the voters are in charge of me.”

Green has entrusted the day-to-day management of his Internet business to his wife while he campaigns full time for Congress. He said that after talking it over with his family, he decided that it was the right time to run as an outsider candidate. Though Green said he was aggressively fundraising, he acknowledged that he planned to dip into his own bank account too.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/27867_Page2.html#ixzz0Sv0EnnMZ

Andy S. said...

Is Kirk gay?

Wow. That ought to throw a wrench into his run for Senate.

Too bad he isn't running as a Democrat. They're tolerant of gays. The Republicans? Not so much. Doesn't fit with their "family values."

Team America said...

Andy S. - Thanks for finding our Blog from over at Lake County Eye. I've been a little disappointed with the quality fo the discourse over there lately and your comment fits right in with what I've been observing. I'm going to let your comment stay up just so I can say that it's pretty pathetic that the Dems claim to be the champion of gays and minorities, but do not hesitate to engage in gay-bashing when it suits their purposes.

Kirk is not gay, as far as I know, and silly rumors in that vein have been around for years and years, even while he was married, and had no impact on his political career. And believe me, the people that dislike Kirk now probably couldn't dislike him any more, and I doubt it would be a significant issue in that respect, even if it were true.

Now that's we've had our little discussion on this topic, we're done. Please don't bring it up again unless you want to be banned from the Blog.

Thanks, The Management.

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Team America said...

Dear Readers - I'm out of town and I don't have time today to monitor the Blog every five minutes to remove comments that are not appropriate. We've now gone from comments about sexuality to commenting on personalities of candidates' staffers. I'm tired of this crap and comments are off until I get back to my computer. Let's use this time off to rethink the standards on this Blog, and if you can't control yourself, feel free to visit Ellen, BlueLakeSpecial or anywhere else that might condone such behavior. Not here.