The wind just got sucked out of the windy city of Chicago, no 2016 Olympics for the USA. We got eliminated in the very first round. Mouths were agape, and a stunned silence covered the crowd.
On the other hand, the city of Rio de Janeiro, one of the deadliest, most crime ridden cities in the world, even more corrupt than Chicago, rejoiced when they heard that Brazil had won the 2016 bid to host the world games.
It came as no big surprise to me however, as the first lady sang a sad sob story in front of the IOC, and our president expended millions of scarce tax payer dollars to promote his home city.
Not that there was any corruption about to be committed in Chicago, by many of the same people who now occupy the white house.. but if nothing else is transparent these days, the obvious conflicts of interest were staggering.
So as the people of Chicago and the USA lick their wounds, the city of Rio is about to be plagued with the monumental task of preparing for the world games and everything that goes along with it.. most notably, safety and security for the multitudes attending.
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On a brighter note, the president did meet for 25 minutes, with our top General who is fighting for his life and the lives of our troops in the war in Afghanistan. Go USA!
So...the 2016 Summer games will be held in South America and so if it's Summer there it will be Winter here and that means the Summer games will actually be in Winter here unless they decide to do like Sydney Australia and have them in August like normal and so the Summer games will be held in Winter there and Summer here.
Make sense?
too bad.
The USA losses its bid to host the Olympics and Republicans rejoice... interesting.
I would define it as something closer to pathetic.
On a brighter note, Dave's creative writing class is really paying off. A nicely written piece for sure. Keep this up and you'll find yourself at Fox News when you graduate. ;)
Thanks rac, I knew you of all people would recognize that my 'skills' are improving. This college stuff is really beginning to pay off. And Doug, I would define it more as a sigh of relief.. a pathetic sigh perhaps, but a sigh nevertheless.
No problem Dave. In all seriousness you should really consider writing/journalism as your second career. Who knows, maybe you can write Palin's next book.
I do feel that Obama exercised questionable judgment in injecting himself into this selection process.
The office of the President ought to carry some credibility and prestige and with the IOC basically poking a stick in the Presidents eye that credibility and prestige has suffered greatly. He should have known better.
Chicago received 18 out of 95 total votes. That is an ass kicking.
What I find pathetic is the perverse joy some of the Presidents detractors are sure to find at his humiliation. And he and his handlers can spin it any way they'd like but that's what this is, a humiliation.
I personally don't see the harm in his efforts. In fact, I like that he's not afraid to stick his neck on the line. Fear of failure seldom provides any significant success.
Perhaps. There is however such a thing as risk and reward. In this case judging what there was to gain as opposed to what there was to lose makes you wonder.
I mean let's say Chicago gets the nod. Obama and co. look like ham handed bullies. Chicago doesn't get the bid, in this case finishing last, and they look like ineffectual and irrelevant dorks.
I think better to just have sat this one out.
We aren't rejoicing that the USA lost its bid. While "O" was Overseas on trying to sell the USA, he was also ignoring the business at hand - i.e. Afghanistan. (notwithstanding his meeting with McChrystal in Denmark).
I don't have a problem with the US hosting the Olympics - I think it can be a great thing - but let's be real about the true costs of doing so. Host cities don't make money (but many of the Chicago gang would have). "O" claims that we have all manner of crisis facing us - healthcare is costly, the economy is crashing, the Afghan campaign is a war of necessity - but I wonder when he finds any time for actually running the country. What, with his Wednesday night blow outs at the white house, vacations, golfing and let's not forget the endless campaigning for his agenda, who's running the place?
If "O" came back with the 2016 Olympics in Chicago, he would have been hailed breathlessly in most of the media. He can stand a little criticism - not for coming back empty handed, but for getting involved in the first place to grab this big money opportunity for his friends and special interest supporters. (Oh, that's right, when they are Dems they are "the people", only Reps have "special interests").
Well, he probably is perfectly able to run things from Air Force One. And while it's probably true that the host city doesn't make money, they're lucky to break even, they can be windfalls for local service related industries.
My thing is yeah it would be nice if the Olympics were in Chicago but in the grand scheme of things....
I just think we have bigger fish to fry.
The way this thing played out is a fiasco and it sure isn't going to help him in the future.
The Olympics is basically a tourist event. Has anyone been to Chicago? Is it on the top 10 tourist destination lists? NO. Would you like to have the option of seeing a place that has a carnival reputation with scantly clad exotic beautiful women in a city that has been hosting tourists for ever. Rio has an international reputation of a grand party place on a beach, There are a few historic attractions and the potential for an adventurous side trip. Plus the world has had enough of our Americana to last a life time. Not to mention the unprofessional treatment and logistics of traveling in and out of the USA these days provided you get a VISA.
My one and only experience with Chicago. visited back in the 80's, staying in a hotel. cold as hell. I dropped my wallet outside the hotel with $200 in it. some kind person brought into the hotel. I was called in my room. got my wallet back with everything intact. Since that day, I love chicago, always will.
Juliet,
Chicago is a great city in a lot of ways. They have their own way of doing things but there's plenty to do and see. Try it sometime. Just avoid the south side after dark.
Hahahah I've been there Doug. Not once but twice.
I had the pleasure of getting lost on the south side of Chicago in an RV with my Dad at the wheel, and the rest of our vacationing family hunkered down behind locked doors and closed windows, pretty much scared for our lives.. at least the parents were. For a bunch of kids from Guam, it was an adventure. The thing I remember most, was that song 'Bad Bad Leroy Brown' playing over and over in my head as we drove through the ghetto streets, with hundreds of sets of eyeballs checking out the hubcaps on our brand new rented Tioga motor home.
funny Dave
I was in the Chicago airport on Sunday....the place is not nice...old, dirty, crowded, very spread out without those moving walking things to get you someplace faster...maybe the Olympic voters had been in the Chicago airport before..that would be enough to get a "no" vote.
When I was in Utah,my friends and I stopped to take a look. Just the bathrooms were huge.Tall wooden doors everywhere. I wonder what's happened to it these days?
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