Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Do Republicans Have An Ulterior Motive for Attacking Obama on Olympics Bid?

I just have to wonder which of the following is true:

Are Republicans piling on in their criticism of Barack Obama’s personal appearance in Copenhagen this week at the 13th Olympic Congress because they just want to berate Obama over any old thing that he does? Or do Republicans have an ulterior motive for not wanting the 2016 Olympics games in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America?

Really, it has to be one or the other.

What harm is it, I ask, that Barack Obama invest some of the political capital that he has with the international scene and take advantage of some of the international goodwill that is currently being rained upon him, by helping to bring the Olympics to his home country?

Isn’t that one of his jobs? To help stimulate the American economy?

Ask anyone. Getting the Olympics to come to your area, let alone your country, is a huge economic advantage to the country that brings the Olympic torch to its designated Olympics stadium.

Everyone benefits.

I have friends that made a killing turning over their house to international visitors when the Olympics were held in LA in 1984. The whole area benefits in construction projects, employment and infrastructure improvements.

So really, it just couldn’t be that Republicans are actually against the President of the United States helping out the USOOC to bring the Olympics here. That would be a travesty. Republicans are after all, fair-minded and pro-business.

So what is it?

I had an idea today, after hearing which cities were in the final four:

Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio De Janeiro.

Now Tokyo is clearly overplaying their hand. It hosted the Olympics before in 1964, a mere 45 years ago. Los Angeles hosted the Olympics in 1932, ant it took them another 52 years to get it back again in 1984.

Madrid has its own problems. London will be the site of the 2012 Olympic Games, and the 2014 Winter Olympic Games will be held in Sochi, Russia. A Madrid win would mean that the Olympics are held in Europe for three times in a row, something that is very uncommon in Olympics history.

That cuts the field down to just two, with Rio de Janeiro at loggerheads with the Windy City.

Can it be, then, that the only reason Republicans don’t want the Olympic Games to come to America, to come to Chicago, is that they want them to go to Rio?

If so, why Rio?

Oh. Ohhhhhh…..

It’s that Governor Sanford thing, isn’t it?

Republican Governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford got himself a real South American hottie, didn’t he? In Buenos Aires.

But wait, Buenos Aires isn’t Rio, is it?

Oh. Ohhhhh…

Rio isn’t Buenos Aires.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes. it is the first option you stated, Republicans are,indeed, piling criticism of Barack Obama’s efforts to to bring the Olympics to USA, for no other reason than just to berate Obama over any old thing that he does. Yep, you got it.

Anonymous said...

I hope that Chicago gets the Olympics. And if President Obabma can help, great.

But he creates a perception that he is working harder to get the Olympics than he is to get health care reform. I know it's not reality, but the timing leads to this perception.

Hal said...

Only because Republicans feed that perception.

Delezzia said...

Hah! Hypocrites. Can you imagine if the president decided to stay home and NOT go to Denmark to pitch for Chicago? And then Chicago LOST? Repubs would be all over that like white on rice! President didn't go, we lost cause he didn't care, yadda yadda... You know what, he'll be gone for less than 24 hours and back in time for Congress Happy Hour so give me a freakin break. As for jobs, yeah, it takes a long time for a city to get ready for the Olympics so jobs will be created sooner rather than later.. Common sense morons in Washington!! Go back to your hobbit holes and shut up.

Anonymous said...

Hal,
Do you think Democrats would do the same to a Republican president? Or are they above this type of perception manipulation?

Hal said...

Don't ask me, Anon. I can't speak for all Democrats. Answer the question yourself by looking for all of the criticism Bush got for spending 4 days at the Olympics in 2008.

chris brown said...

I love the obama's I think there doing a great job and they should keep up the good work haters step back.