Posted on 10/02/2009 3:45:41 PM PDT by canuck_conservative
One can understand an American president’s lobbying for an American city to obtain the Olympics, but the blitz by the Obamas proved a PR nightmare. Let us count the ways:
1) Obama’s brand is trans-nationalism and an “America is not exceptional” multiculturalism. According to his worldview, it makes sense that a South American country — especially a powerful, ascendant country such as Brazil — should at last have its turn at hosting the Olympics. It did not seem consistent that a politician who had reached out to the Castros, Chávez, Morales, and Ortega, in parochial fashion, would lobby for his own hometown over a “yes, we can” Latin American initiative, especially one involving an exciting city such as Rio.
2) The Obama lobbying speeches were counterproductive. The world has its own inspirational narratives and is not impressed that much by the Obamas’ Chicago sagas. It was accidental but unfortunate that the global viewers had seen some horrific YouTube clips of street fighting in the Windy City, and then were told by Michelle that her father had taught her how to land a right hook, and that it was a sacrifice for her to fly to Denmark to make the case for Chicago.
3) The Chicago bit was overdone. Obama should remember that there is a perfect storm brewing: The more we hear about Valerie Jarrett, Rahm Emanuel, Bill Ayers, and all his old Chicago friends, along with rumors about Tony Rezko–style backroom deals to cash in on Chicago real estate involving the Olympics, and continuing stories about Chicago’s street violence and corruption — the more it hurts the president to be identified as a “Chicago politician” who tries in heavy-handed fashion to implement change through the “Chicago way.” To a younger Obama, Chicago was the romantic can-do town of Reverend Wright, Michael Jordan, Oprah, and the Daley machine; to the world at large, it is something quite different, and far more unappealing.
4) Obama’s messianic appeal is wearing thin, both at home and abroad. I think that once Sarkozy essentially said to the world, “The emperor has no clothes,” the Obama facade crumbled. And here we are.
If Obama and his WH team put the same time and effort into solving Chicago's inner-city problems - and the Derrien Albert murder is a perfect symbol - as they did in pursuit of this circus, then they could actually start to earn the public's respect again.
Won't happen, of course.
But on the bright side, these incompetents will be the same people running next year's Democratic campaign.
Get the popcorn.
All the Chicago cronies who gave him the senate and POTUS will be very mad now.
RACISIM!!!!!
HIGHER TAXES WILL FIX THIS!!!!!
Wait until the White House tries to inflict Joe Biden’s Afghanistan Strategery on General McCrystal, and both he and General Petreus hand in their immediate resignations...
“Get the popcorn”
I hope the Kenyan leaves office in disgrace.
"Come to Chicago -- We'll beat you to death with 2 x 4s"
I don't know about "beginning of the end," but there is a guy on Fox Special Report right now dissing him from the Washington Post.
Often the turn of the tide is signalled by a harbinger, an “omen” if you like. In 1979 it was the election of Margaret Thatcher, which took place in the darkest days of Carterism.
What are the chances that we’ll look back and see this Olympic debacle as Obama’s harbinger?
Once the balloon is punctured, it’s very hard to get the hot air back in. Millions are seeing it fall, flacid and wrinkled, to the ground. How long before the laughter starts?
The Olympic thing is nothing...it's Qom, Afghanistan, the missile program.
Sarkozy chose the right words...Obama lives in a virtual world.
How about a new virtual game...Chicago Olympics where every non-union person shows up with two broken legs.
The fact that he has been unable to fill so many positions in his administration from Day 1 was the indicator that he had problems with his “appeal”. Somehow, even though every woman (and man) secretly wants to have sex with him, he’s already a pariah with the exception of far-left circles, and he’s been nothing but a disappointment there. By throwing away whites, independents, and retirees, he is probably going to cost his party big-time, and will probably lose the Dem primary in 2012.
consider potential brilliance: what if he was counting on the loss adding a perceived dose of humility.. perhaps this is a win-win scenario.
Cognitive dissonance at its best.
Can’t wait to see his poll negatives next week :)
/schadenfreude
Mention Chicago to a typical European and the first thing that they think of is "Al Capone". Its a fact. Try it next time you are among the Euro peons.
I really do believe that the IOC is sending a message to America to vote the BUMS out next year and in 2012.
I sort of like the idea of a perfect storm coming.
Incompetence has its own special fascinating charm, but we are already growing a bit weary of it.
Could this turn out to be the “Hurricane Katrina” for the now failing nascent obama regime?
Don’t let up now, people. The Democrats, and particularly the White House denizens, OWN this failure, and it will only fan higher and hotter in coming days and months.
Lord, how I miss George W. Bush. And that was not something I admit to easily.
But, but, but how could the world turn down OPRAH? That’s OPRAH!!!
It’s sometimes referred to as “The Mandate of Heaven” a term coined by Ghengis Khan for the essence of political and military leadership. But once the Mandate is lifted, it’s gone for good.
LOL.... One mans nightmare is another mans dream.
Today is such a beautiful day. I see rainbows, horsies and flowers in the air. Yes, and the blended scent of ice cream and ambrosia....
Why can’t Chicago DO anything about these thug gangs.
I thought it was Micheal Jordan. You suprise me there.
I agree this is a lot of fun to watch.
But it really doesn’t affect the Baraqqi coalition of support.
Illegals, union members, dead people, and minorities don’t give a rip about the Olympics. Those groups will still turn out 97% for Baraq making him much more formidable than many here think.
Just like when the German tanks were bogged down at 40 below in Russia, the toughest fighting lies ahead.
Unicorns too, with silver and gold dander. This will save Chicago a lot.
Just made that pix my laptop background ... good one!
Well that coalition has for all purposes BROKEN DOWN and that break down has shown today. The IOC is simply saying: AMERICA, you have to clean house out, starting in 2010.
“It was accidental but unfortunate that the global viewers had seen some horrific YouTube clips of street fighting in the Windy City, and then were told by Michelle that her father had taught her how to land a right hook,”
Great point by Hanson. I hadn’t made that connection, but I’m sure Michelle’s ‘right hook’ comment reinforced the idea among IOC voters, who saw the Derrion Albert murder video, that Chicago is a dangerous, thuggish city.
Chicago probably would have lost anyway, but that comment could not have helped.
“...and will probably lose the Dem primary in 2012.”
If he doesn’t quit first! Count on Hillary as the 2012 nominee. Palin vs Clinton. That’s my predition. A truly historic election.
Death throws on the way. Don’t be surprised if a flurry of emergencies pop up and emergency measures are taken to fix those “emergencies”. They’ve got the Congress and the EOP. And they’re definitely not going down without a very bloody fight.
AMEN BROTHER! WE ARE ALL GETTING WORN DOWN BY OBAMA and the CHICAGO THUGS.
Thankee - not sure where I get some of these but they’re free to anyone here that wants them ....
We need to win an election or two to bring this home. The gubinatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey should be bellwethers.
I saw Burris make that very claim in a clip on Fox. It’s not on Google yet.
Disgusting old man.
What is EOP?
Take confort, 2010 is coming.
“.hand in their immediate resignations.....”
and prepare to run for public office - Senate, VP, Gov)
Too bad for oprah and michelle that the Girl from Ipanema (somewhere near Rio) has a more alluring appeal around the globe.
Pray for military intervention
If they wanted it done they should of asked Bush how to do it
What we have now, however, is incompetence on an epic scale abetted by the most incredible arrogance I have ever witnessed. The only thing that could save this administration now would be a dramatic shift toward the political center, and we all know that Obama's narcissism will never allow that.
Oh well, as others have said... pass the popcorn.
I think foreigners, being somewhat more objective than the WH staff, dim pols, msm pundits and other dim operatives - saw an American president with the economy in the tank, terrorism wars to ‘solve’ etc. and thought how inappropriately desperate could one be to ignore all that and make the ‘sacrifice’ of going to Copenhagen.
IOW, he didn’t look ready for prime time to the IOC either.
“Why can’t Chicago DO anything about these thug gangs.”
-
It is really quite simple.
Gangs are what Chicago is all about.
The street gangs are just a visible image
of the behind the scenes gangs that run the place.
The irony is, Brazil used Obama’s rhetoric against him. “It’s our turn,” they said much as Obama said during the campaign.
Sometimes you just have to sit back and smile.
Can’t Oprah just buy the Olympics? /s
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I knew I wasn’t alone. LOL
In the end their mistake was making this about Bam instead of about the Olympics. The reason Chicago lost was BECAUSE of Bam, they did not want this to turn into the Bam Olympics and have him and Michelle on TV as the heros of getting the games to Chicago. If he would have kept a low profile and lobbied/bribed behind the scenes, they might have pulled it off.
Why would the IOC want the games in Chicago if it meant that it was about Bam and not about the games? Very rational an the part of the IOC, they saw thru his game.
It was interesting that Rush and others have started laughing at Bam. Narcissists cannot stand to be laughed at. He may get real erratic in the next few months, especially if more people start to make fun of him.
schu
Mrs. Prince of Space
Then, when the ungrateful world wasn’t buying their razzle dazzle, they send their attack dog, Axelrod, to blame all the faults of the world for the loss.
Isn’t Axelrod’s PR firm the one that masterminded the U.S. presentation? Follow the money...millions, I think.
The biggest problem Obama and his wife had when they gave they’re speeches was they talked about themsleves. Me, me, me.....I, I, I. Their concerns were about themselves.
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