Hillarysworld

thebword · Super Moderator

No Olympics for Chicago...

thebword · Super Moderator

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/10/obama-loses-luster-chicago-out-of-olympic-bid.html

Obama loses gamble -- Chicago out of Olympics contention

In a stunner, the International Olympic Committee dropped Chicago from contention for the 2016 Summer Games in the first round of voting today. Tokyo was eliminated in the second round.

No word yet from the White House, where President Obama risked political capital to make a last-minute appeal to the committee.

Left in the running: Rio, which boasted it would be the first city from South America to host the Games, and Madrid, home to the former president of the IOC.

-- Johanna Neuman

Lara · gold

I actually tuned in to MSNBC to catch their coverage of this announcement. Boy, there were a lot of disappointed Chicagoans when this was announced. I changed the channel when David Axelrod came on. I guess he was on to do damage control for BO.

I'm hoping Rio gets the Olympics, but Madrid might have a better shot (from what was being said on T.V.).

Angelica91 · Moderator

Ahahah
I love Chicago, but I am happy Obama loses!!!ahahah And he will go on losing!

Alex · Diamond

But...but...but...MicHELLe sacrificed!!

thebword wrote:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/10/obama-loses-luster-chicago-out-of-olympic-bid.html

Obama loses gamble -- Chicago out of Olympics contention

In a stunner, the International Olympic Committee dropped Chicago from contention for the 2016 Summer Games in the first round of voting today. Tokyo was eliminated in the second round.
No word yet from the White House, where President Obama risked political capital to make a last-minute appeal to the committee.
Left in the running: Rio, which boasted it would be the first city from South America to host the Games, and Madrid, home to the former president of the IOC.
-- Johanna Neuman

thebword · Super Moderator

Alex wrote:

But...but...but...MicHELLe sacrificed!!

Oh now Alex leave poor little Michelle alone.....

freespirit · Moderator

Wow! And exactly how much money did we waste on that failed effort?! Guess O and BO have lost their MoJo. biggrin

Destiny · Platinum

It's reported that oblaimo is "disappointed" - it sounds like someone has been watching the movie, "The Godfather" or "Fatal Attraction"(You don't want to disappoint me.......do you?).

Also, oblabla made a joke and said that it's never a good thing to follow Michelle, but they made me do it.....

What an Idiot!

shadow · Platinum

Rio got it!

Now, I want to know who paid for oprah to go with michelle on that sacrificial trip. evileye

Optixmom · Super Moderator

You just HAVE to see the Drudge Report main headline:

THE EGO HAS LANDED WORLD REJECTS OBAMA: CHICAGO OUT IN FIRST ROUND

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

thebword · Super Moderator

Optixmom wrote:

You just HAVE to see the Drudge Report main headline:

THE EGO HAS LANDED WORLD REJECTS OBAMA: CHICAGO OUT IN FIRST ROUND

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I LOVE IT!!!! I'm sorry Chicago didn't get the Olympics, but I had to "quote" this so everyone got a double dose of the headline that made my day.

-- Edited by thebword on Friday 2nd of October 2009 09:04:54 PM

Destiny · Platinum

shadow wrote:

Rio got it!

Now, I want to know who paid for oprah to go with michelle on that sacrificial trip.

My understanding is that oprah (and her staff) unloaded off of Air Force One, so if that be the case....'we the people' paid for her (and her staffers) to vacation with the ovomits.

When do 'we the people' start getting angry over millions (and billions) of dollars spent to cart these people around????

Obama going to Europe (Germany 2008) - 5 million

Obama going on Jay Leno and David Letterman - 2 million

Obama's plane flying over NYC and frightening citizens - 1 million

Obamas going on a date in NYC - 500,000

Obama flying to the Middle East - 6 million

Obama's vacation - 3 million

Obama fighting eligibility - several million

Obama flying around the united states pushing his criminal health care reform - 7 million

Obama, wife and friends flying to Denmark - millions

Obama being handcuffed and hauled off to jail - PRICELESS.

-- Edited by Destiny on Friday 2nd of October 2009 04:22:24 PM

-- Edited by Destiny on Friday 2nd of October 2009 04:23:01 PM

Building 4112 · Moderator

I knew they would get unplugged.

SugnSpicesMom · Platinum

I was so worried that I would be the only one that took pleasure in Chicago NOT getting the Olympics. I felt terrible for wanting them not to get it simply because Michelle and Oasshat were from there and because they spent OUR money to travel to Denmark to push/beg/demand that Chicago get it. I am glad someone finally denied them something!!!!

freespirit · Moderator

Destiny wrote:

shadow wrote:

Rio got it!

Now, I want to know who paid for oprah to go with michelle on that sacrificial trip.

My understanding is that oprah (and her staff) unloaded off of Air Force One, so if that be the case....'we the people' paid for her (and her staffers) to vacation with the ovomits.
When do 'we the people' start getting angry over millions (and billions) of dollars spent to cart these people around????
Obama going to Europe (Germany 2008) - 5 million
Obama going on Jay Leno and David Letterman - 2 million
Obama's plane flying over NYC and frightening citizens - 1 million
Obamas going on a date in NYC - 500,000
Obama flying to the Middle East - 6 million
Obama's vacation - 3 million
Obama fighting eligibility - several million
Obama flying around the united states pushing his criminal health care reform - 7 million
Obama, wife and friends flying to Denmark - millions
Obama being handcuffed and hauled off to jail - PRICELESS.

-- Edited by Destiny on Friday 2nd of October 2009 04:22:24 PM

-- Edited by Destiny on Friday 2nd of October 2009 04:23:01 PM

I'm seriously cracking up, Destiny. biggrin

freespirit · Moderator

Sug, you are certainly not alone. Hate it for Chicago and US, but it's worth it to give O, Oprah, and MO a dose of reality: Contrary to their belief in their own divinity, the rest of the world recognizes that they're mere mortals.

I guess this was one election ACORN couldn't rig for Obama. lol

Building 4112 · Moderator

Here we go again, Sen. Burris says Blame it on BUSH.

Hillarysmygirl16 · Administrator

Ha Ha Ha too funny

Alex · Diamond

Destiny wrote:

Obama going to Europe (Germany 2008) - 5 million
Obama going on Jay Leno and David Letterman - 2 million
Obama's plane flying over NYC and frightening citizens - 1 million
Obamas going on a date in NYC - 500,000
Obama flying to the Middle East - 6 million
Obama's vacation - 3 million
Obama fighting eligibility - several million
Obama flying around the united states pushing his criminal health care reform - 7 million
Obama, wife and friends flying to Denmark - millions
Obama being handcuffed and hauled off to jail - PRICELESS.

-- Edited by Destiny on Friday 2nd of October 2009 04:22:24 PM

-- Edited by Destiny on Friday 2nd of October 2009 04:23:01 PM
*****************************

Destiny, that's the funniest this I've heard all day, and I've heard/read a LOT of funny things!

Lara · gold

I said part of this on another post.

BTW, the World Cup will be in Rio in 2014. They have also recently hosted the Pan Am Games. Brazil is a big sports country. Since most of the time people don't really pay too much attention to what the IOC does perhaps Rio didn't seem like the frontrunner for many, but if you look at the big picture and how things have been lining up for Rio in recent years, Rio must have just seemed like the obvious choice for many IOC members. I also understand Rio's arguments for why they should be given the Olympics (first country in South America to get them and they are into sports in a big way). I still am not clear behind the logic for why Chicago should host the summer games (just wanting to host is not a good enough reason). The U.S. has already had the Olympics 8 times. Other parts of the world should be given the chance to host.

I think the lesson BO should have learned from this episode is that he shouldn't listen to Valerie Jarrett. She was heading this Olympic bid for Chicago and probably convinced him to go to Copenhagen. Just having MO there would have been enough because in reality, in retrospect, one can see that Chicago was a long shot. These appeared to be Rio's games to lose. The people on the Left who are now arguing that Chicago lost because of the Bush years don't seem to know what they are talking about (BO is president now, not Bush). They don't even have to reach for these farfetched explanations. Rio just seemed like the more obvious choice. If BO has egg on his face (as said on NoQuarter) it's his own fault, for not doing his homework. If he wanted to help his home town, he could have sent a videotaped plea so he could have saved taxpayers' money. That way he could have saved face if Chicago didn't get chosen. U.S. presidents usually don't go galavanting around the world doing these kinds of things.

SugnSpicesMom · Platinum

"U.S. presidents usually don't go galavanting around the world doing these kinds of things."

PRECISELY!!! Why does Oasshat think taxpayer money should pay for these kinds of trips? Seriously, why would the POTUS take time out of his schedule during several crisis situations (Afghanistan, health care, etc) and trot off to beg for the Olympics? Two reasons: #1 because he owes his buddies in the Chicago machine BIG time. #2 so he can get a free trip to another part of the world and get his mug in front of the cameras AGAIN!!! He makes me absolutely sick in every aspect!!!!

rachel · Platinum

Oprah hanging around michelle like she is part of the cabinet. It's sickening. Why couldn't Billionaire Oprah spare some money and foot the bill? Hey Bill and Hillary's friend footed the Bill to get the journalists from North Korea. Barack and Michelle's friends seem to be tight with the buck.

Alex · Diamond

From Ace of Spades HQ:

"I blame Barry. He has been running around the world saying that the US is one big huge, f'd up country..

...who [] can blame [the IOC]?"

More here:

http://minx.cc/?post=293122

-- Edited by Alex on Saturday 3rd of October 2009 05:40:51 PM

Lara · gold

OMG, note how pretty much nothing in this story can be verified (except by V. Jarrett and D. Axelrod). Jarrett and Axelrod are the only two who were "witness" to BO's decision-making process regarding his trip to Copenhagen.

And I don't know how I feel about BO following the president of Brazil's lead (with the hard lobbying) since the U.S. and Brazil are not equivalent in power in the world stage (not that Brazil isn't probably a great place). I don't know if U.S. presidents have behaved like this before.

This article was posted on Riverdaughter:

"Obama Was Told Trip to Olympics Meeting May Clinch Chicago Win"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-obama-olympics4-2009oct04,0,836075.story

Up until a few days before flying to Copenhagen, Obama was not sold on the idea. He was concerned he would be gone when the healthcare debate hit the House or Senate floor...

Reporting from Washington - In the run-up to the Olympics vote, the White House was getting a clear message from the architects of Chicago's bid: Balloting would be tight, and a personal visit to Copenhagen from President Obama just might lock in a victory.

Leaders of the Windy City's campaign to secure the 2016 Summer Games had done some nose-counting and were convinced that the International Olympic Committee might well anoint Chicago as host, according to White House officials interviewed Saturday.

"The intelligence that we had from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Chicago bid team was that it was very close and therefore well worth our efforts," said Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House advisor. "The message was that . . . a personal appeal from the president would make a huge difference."...

But Obama and his advisors were not sold on the idea until just a few days before Air Force One took off for Copenhagen.

Earlier, the president had agreed to engage in some quiet lobbying. Working from the White House, he placed calls to half a dozen influential people, including IOC President Jacques Rogge. It quickly became clear that other heads of state were doing the same thing -- especially the president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

"It was apparent when he made those calls that Lula had been there earlier," senior White House aide David Axelrod said...

Several weeks ago, he was in the Oval Office on the phone with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. The mayor wanted him to make the trip. The president told him that he genuinely wanted to go, but was worried about his workload.

"He said, 'I don't want to make a commitment that I can't keep,' " according to Axelrod, who was in the room. " 'So I'm not going to make any final decisions and will keep this open.' "

A few days later, Axelrod said, the president told his staff to send an advance team to Copenhagen just in case. "It was always in his mind that he wanted to go and would go," Axelrod said. "But he needed to leave himself a little bit of room in case healthcare was on the floor."

Throughout, the Chicago team was pushing for the president to make the trip. Daley and Patrick Ryan, chairman of Chicago 2016, were among those who told the White House that the nose count showed a presidential visit might close the sale, Jarrett said....

The president made his decision last weekend. He conferred with aides monitoring healthcare legislation, who concluded that the bill would not be up for a floor vote in the 24-hour period the president was overseas. So Obama privately told his staff that he would go to Copenhagen, Jarrett said.

Jarrett flew back home with Obama on Air Force One. She said he was unfazed by the loss.

"We have plenty on our plate to do," she said. "He called the president of Brazil from Air Force One to offer congratulations, and by the time we landed in Washington, he was talking about healthcare."

Destiny · Platinum

Obama's Copenhagen trip wasn't cheap

Buzz up!33 votes
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