Some Chicago officials say anti-American resentment likely played a role in Chicago's Olympic bid dying in the first round Friday.This, of course, is silly. To believe this nonsense you have to be willing to believe the IOC members wanted to punish Barack Obama, the man for whom the world swooned, because of the "sins" of George W. Bush. It's nonsense.
President Obama could not undo in one year the resentment against America that President Bush and others built up for years, they said.
"There must be" resentment against America, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, near the stage where he had hoped to give a victory speech in Daley Center Plaza. "The way we [refused to sign] the Kyoto Treaty, we misled the world into Iraq. The world had a very bad taste in its mouth about us. But there was such a turnaround after last November. The world now feels better about America and about Americans. That's why I thought the president's going was the deal-maker."
State Rep. Susana Mendoza (D-Chicago) said she saw firsthand the resentment against America five years ago when she was in Rio de Janeiro. "I feel in my gut that this vote today was political and mean-spirited," she said.
"I travel a lot. ... I thought we had really turned a corner with the election of President Obama. People are so much more welcoming of Americans now. But this isn't the people of those countries. This is the leaders still living with outdated impressions of Americans."
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said she was approached by a consul general at the plaza as they waited for word Friday. "He said ... he was hearing that there wasn't enough time for Barack Obama to dispel the old image. ... But I don't know if that's it."
In reality, Rio made a good case for the first even South American Olympic Games. The U.S. had the '80 Games in Lake Placid, '84 in Los Angeles, '96 in Atlanta, and '02 in Salt Lake City. There are plenty of other nations willing and able to host Olympic Games.
Chicago was not going to win even before Obama, Michelle and Oprah showed up and made the presentation all about them. Trying to blame Chicago's failure on George Bush is dishonest at best.
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Didn't I tell you several posts back they were going to blame Bush?
Maybe his royal smugness isn't so enthralling to people outside the US.
Rio deserves a chance. I was excited for them, and the athletes. Could you imagine being a 14 year old athlete with their sites on the Olympics saying, "Oh boy, I get to go to Chicago." But Rio? That's the trip of a lifetime for anybody.
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