Posted on 09/19/2009 9:50:08 PM PDT by STARWISE
President Obama is dispatching an advance team to Copenhagen to pave the way for a possible personal appearance before the Olympic committee next month.
The decision doesn't necessarily mean Obama will be able to make an in-person appeal for his adopted hometown of Chicago, which is bidding to to host the Olympics in 2016, a senior advisor to the president said this afternoon.
But the president wants to make sure he has the option to go, in case he can get away from the health care discussions to make the trip.
Before any presidential trip, the White House advance teams need time to size up the security situation and make arrangements for accomodations -- even for travel the president doesn't end up undertaking. The advance team will travel Monday.
"He wants to preserve his options," the advisor said in an interview today.
Ten days ago, Obama told Chicago Mayor Richard Daley that he might not be able to get away, because of the ongoing effort to pass a health care bill. But Obama still hopes to make the trip if he can do so without jeopardizing the reform bill, aides say.
(Excerpt) Read more at swamppolitics.com ...
~~~~~
"And if Daley doesn't get the Olympics -- if the IOC chooses Rio, Tokyo or Madrid -- don't be surprised if this becomes the mayor's last term.
Because, after a 20-year spending spree, the money is finally gone. Daley is now so desperate for cash that he allowed parking meter rates to be increased, knowing there would be a public backlash."
I'm sure Rahm will handle the healthcare threats just fine while he's gone.
~~PONG!
More meddling @ taxpayer’s expense....
I think OdumbO owes Daley and I doubt his going will help, might actually hurt.
The IOC will be in between a rock and a hard place once Barry shows up. If the IOC doesn’t choose Barry’s Chicago, they will be labeled as a bunch of “rasis”. This could get ugly. Where’s the popcorn?
Most of the Olympic bureaucrats I know are liberals. They would vote in Obama’s favor in their sleep.
You got that right. I do think we will see a sharp jump in the Chicago crime rate during the Olympics though. LOL!
He can’t keep his nose out of anything. I suppose it will be the umpteenth vacation for the family.
Obama needs to resign. He needs to once in his life put America that has been so good to his sorry fanny along with his wife first.
I think Daley sees the handwriting on the wall. It’s over Obama.
this guy is doing everything except being presidential...still needs to organize
It becomes an interesting episode. There are four cities in the running: Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro. From a historical prospective...everyone is leaning toward Rio because they’ve never an Olympics in South America...but most fear the crime aspect of Rio. Both Tokyo and Madrid already have the public transportation requirements in place and both represent a very safe place for people to go.
Then you have Chicago...with a 2-star public transportation system currently and would require tens of billions to fix their problems (note, you aren’t hearing this as political charmers speak). The crime aspect of Chicago is better than Rio...but face it...after dark, you really need to know where you are going.
Finally...typically the President or leader of a country has always been the one going to the advanced presentation to show a national commitment to the games and cost. This game of sending the wife? It doesn’t have the same impact. So in the end....they will have to pack up the President and make a 48-hour run to help Chicago out.
And no, there really aren’t any bonus points here by Obama being there.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-jarrett-olympics-12-may12,0,3847349.story
Jarrett backs ethics waiver - It lets her lead federal push for Olympics
Chicago Tribune (IL) - Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Author: John McCormick, Tribune reporter
Valerie Jarrett , a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, said Monday the special ethics waiver she recently received from the White House to lead the federal government’s effort to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago was needed only out of an abundance of caution in trying to be transparent.
“We wanted to have one point of contact in the White House who is responsible to make sure everything runs smoothly,” she told the Tribune after a Chicago fundraising event for Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). “Our goal is to try to win the bid.”
Jarrett , who previously served as vice chair of Chicago 2016, needed the waiver because the White House ethics pledge prohibits appointees from dealing with matters “substantially related” to previous employers or clients.
The White House has said Jarrett ‘s previous work for Chicago 2016 was voluntary and she has no ongoing financial relationship with the entity. She said her role will include trying to coordinate the involvement of various federal agencies in a successful bid.
(snip)
//
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2009/09/obama_may_dash_over_to_copenha.html
Obama may dash over to Copenhagen to pitch Chicago Olympic bid. Sending advance team to Denmark.
By
Lynn Sweet
September 19, 2009
(snip)
Jarrett oversees the White House drive to win the Olympics for Chicago and leads the White House Office of Olympic, Paralympic and Youth Sport, created in June to bolster the Chicago bid.
(snip)
The White House on Wednesday hosted a splashy South Lawn Olympics event, featuring Olympians and Paralympians demonstrating their sports as behind-the-scenes diplomatic lobbying has been ongoing for months.
Thursday evening, Jarrett and Chicago 2016 president Lori Healey headed to the Capitol for a reception honoring six African ambassadors hosted by Representatives Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) and Donald Payne (D-N.J.), who chairs the House Foreign Relations Committee’s Africa panel. African nations hold 18 IOC votes, and representatives from three IOC member nations — Tunisia, Morocco and South Africa — showed up for cocktails.
(snip)
Friday, Mrs. Obama gamed her Olympics campaign as she met with Jarrett, Healey, the first lady’s chief of staff, Susan Sher, and her deputy, Melissa Winter; policy and projects advisers Jocelyn Frye and Trooper Sanders, and Camille Johnston and Katie McCormick Lelyveld, from Mrs. Obama’s communications shop.
Though the IOC electorate numbers only 106, as in any campaign the job is to identify and persuade the undecided. They are also making plans in case the voting goes to a second round — in which case the United States has to make alliances to pick up the votes from supporters of the nations that did not make the cut — not unlike the Iowa presidential caucus system, which the Obamas mastered.
Said Jarrett, “Our office is working closely with Lori and her team to try to figure out . . . how can we maximize the president’s time — are there people who are significant enough that we want him to make some calls? — and how can we utilize the first lady’s time while she is in Copenhagen.”
Tokyo and Madrid received the highest marks on their bids. What concerns me is that both bids lacked detail, while Chicago’s was very detailed. But Chicago’s score wasn’t that close to either of these two. I think Rio is just out. They only made the short-list because Doha, Qatar, wanted to hold the games in October. The crime rate, particularly crime against tourists, is obscenely high.
Wikipedia says the U.S. has hosted the Summer Olympics in the following cities:
1904 -- St. Louis, Missouri
1932, 1984 -- Los Angeles, California
1996 -- Atlanta, Georgia
A tremendous amount of money was poured into each city's participation preparation to create the necessary support infrastructure. Each time more nations and more events are involved. I don't see this happening in Chicago, especially in this economy.
Unless, of course, BO and his gang are able to scare up a little overseas money to help things along.
Nope.
Chicago getting the Olympics? Not going to happen.
Remember Atlanta Olympics, 1996.
Democrat, heavily corrupt inner city with a corrupt (democrat) black mayor and a corrupt (democrat/black) city council with a limited transportation network and limited housing/hotels and only a modest state and national involvement? (OK - National money will come.)
Corrupt mayour and city council sold out street vendors and went gagga-commercial - ruined the whole trip for millions. Very, very bad impression internationally - all because of the local city government demanded their payoffs and crony jobs.
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