Nolympics

The unthinkable happened yesterday when Chicago, a heavy favorite to win the 2016 Olympics, was eliminated from contention. And, in an even greater embarrassment for President Obama after he tried to close the sale at the International Olympic Committee's meeting in Copenhagen to decide the site for the 2016 Games, Chicago was eliminated on the first ballot.

Republicans chided the President before the vote was taken, insisting that he had far more important things to worry about, like the economy, health care, and Iran, than getting the Olympics for his adoptive hometown. After the 2016 Olympics were given to Rio de Janeiro, Obama was gracious in defeat, but Newt Gingrich and Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele scolded Obama for wasting his political capital on such a trivial issue. The was pretty much what I expected from the President's detractors.

Nothing could have prepared me for the glee and the jubilation right-wing commentators and activists displayed upon hearing the news, even as Chicagoans were crestfallen. Rush Limbaugh was ecstatic, saying it proved that Obama's charm offensive was just plain offensive, and his ego got the beating it deserved. And he was kind in comparison to Glenn Beck, who giggled at the news, calling the defeat "sweet." Members of the pro-business group Americans For Prosperity applauded and laughed, and the offices of the Weekly Standard burst out into cheers.

Uh, they do realize the United States lost their chance to host another summer Olympiad, right?

The American right displayed its true colors by pouring salt into Obama's wounds on this issue. They were happy to see the country shamed and humiliated merely to score political points and bolster their efforts to weaken a President they wish to see fail, so they can return to power and finished the job of impoverishing the middle class and leaving them with no recourse for the injustices committed against them. If they were as patriotic as they claim to be, they would have supported Chicago's Olympic bid. If they thought Obama's bid was a waste of political prestige, they could have found a way to express it without taking glee in a loss for the country, as Gingrich did. Oh my God, it's come to this - Limbaugh, Beck, and noted Twinkie Michelle Malkin actually having me defend Gingrich!

Of course, if Obama hadn't gone to Copenhagen to make his case, he would have been blasted by the right for not making a personal appeal to the IOC. The only favorable outcome for Obama was for Chicago to actually get the Olympics - which was, we now know, not going to happen.

What caused Chicago to lose? Well, as well-versed in politics as Chicagoans are, the Brazilians were able to outmaneuver them. As I've been led to understand, Chicago went in with half as many committed votes as they thought they had, and the Brazilians managed to sway enough votes to eliminate Chicago - its closest competitor - as quickly as possible, knowing Tokyo could not put up a strong challenge on the next ballot. Then, when it came down to Rio de Janeiro and Madrid, it didn't take much persuasion to point out the no South American city has ever hosted an Olympiad before. By then, it was all over but the shouting - the shouting from jubilant Brazilians and jubilant radio reactionaries.

One conservative who must have been disappointed in the loss was former President George Walker Bush, who also lobbied for Chicago in the waning days of his administration.

Chicago hopes to try again for 2020, but here's some 2020 vision for you: New York, its bid for 2012 derailed by anti-Americanism over the Iraq War, chose to move on and not try again. As to the possibility of lingering anti-Americanism derailing Chicago's bid, it could be that many International Olympic Committee officials view Americans as arrogant morons, even though President Obama is neither, but if you ask me, the anti-Americanism came from the arrogant morons in question, after the bid failed.

Obama will hopefully learn how nasty his enemies are and learn how to fight back, because if he thinks the right is vicious now, wait until the health care reform bill takes final shape. As for Chicago, they're probably better off, even though it would have been nice to see a real American city (Los Angeles and Atlanta are not cities, they're freeway interchanges!) host the summer Olympics for a change. They've been spared logistical nightmares, awful traffic tie-ups, and exorbitant costs.

Plus, there's also the police department's crowd-control record to consider.

The world is watching. :-O

(Note: I kid the city of Chicago! I love this city! I was there in 1994 for a vacation. The video accompanying this post is only a joke!)