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Obama's Olympic Failure Highlights Limits of His International Appeal

I'll let others abroad of the U.S. speak for me on this issue...

To those Americans viscerally anti-Obama:

You've got more genuine respect in the world than you've had for over a decade. And why? Because your compatriots had the good sense to vote in someone who's not an up-himself-elsewhere sabre rattler.

Someone who at least has some intellect and knows there are other places beyond your shores. You probably couldn't care less, but how America's viewed by the rest of the world matters. Obama knows that.

Notwithstanding the current world financial crisis emanates from the Right wing ideology of not so much a free market, but a naked one, and began its inevitable collapse where you are, you really have to despair over whether some of you lot will ever wake up to yourselves.

How on earth can you justify criticism of Obama when your only alternative has just presided over this whole disaster?

Until you comprehend that you can't bully everyone into accepting your mantra of so-called "freedom", you can't "buy" everything, that other cultures are different because that's just how it is, and that the world outside of the good ol' US of A knows it, barricade yourselves in in the way only you know how. You'll not be missed.

...and...

Does America realise that they do not have automatic title to field the Olympics very 12/16 years when they snap their fingers? There are other continents with the right to a shot. The USA needs to finally get it through its head that the world is not only America and the great dollar. Anyway the music's better in Brazil!!

'Nuff said, but I will add this...

While I somewhat lean towards the opinion some have that this wasn't necessarily an issue the President needed to lobby for personally, I do think that in our current economic climate it would have been a mistake for him or someone within his Administration not to go. I mean, other countries were sending their figure heads...why not the U.S., too?

Of course, if he hadn't gone I'm sure there would have also been some who would have critizied him anyway for not going. It's one of those issues where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Either way, somebody would have seen cause to point a finger at him. I give him an "A" for effort, but even I knew Chicago wasn't going to win when up against Rio, Madrid and Tokyo.

Rio, despite all it's faults, is a party place and has alot more to offer in terms of culture, tourism, leisurely activities not to mention everyone wants to go there! I mean, it's Rio!!! When compared to Chicago, how could you not consideration them first?
 
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Oh I see so how much longer before we can stop blaming Bush? Let me guess, in 8 years if a Republican is elected we can blame him, otherwise it remains Bush.

Bush will never stop getting blame. The same as Clinton, Bush Sr., Carter, Johnson, Nixon, etc. still receive blame.
 
Frankly I couldn't care less where the Olympics are. I think Chicago was a lousy US choice, but that's another discussion. This is about Obama wasting his time with personal agendas, rather than his duties.
 
Frankly I couldn't care less where the Olympics are. I think Chicago was a lousy US choice, but that's another discussion. This is about Obama wasting his time with personal agendas, rather than his duties.

His duties don't involve representing American on the world stage and trying to bring potentially billions of dollars of revenue to the country?

I do agree Chicago was a terrible choice of location. And personally wonder if Obama would fought so publicly if it was any other city.
 
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I just don't remember any other president making a special trip to sell their home town (or any town) for the Olympics. I see that as the duty of the mayor of Chicago or state representatives.
 
This is about Obama wasting his time with personal agendas, rather than his duties.

I think it was his duty as the leader of this country to go out and represent it as best he could for this international event. So, he didn't win the bid. No big deal. The world's not coming to and end.

All the news articles that have been critical I think are making way too big a deal out of this. Maybe you do send a lower-ranking delegate to lobby for Chi-Town, but considering that the leaders of the other countries that were in the running also were in attendance, I think it would have been foolish for our President not to go. It would have been a different case if Rio, Tokyo and Spain had sent their city mayors (or the equavilent) or an Ambassador, but they didn't. Their leaders went and lobby for their nation same as our President did. From that perspective, I see nothing wrong with our nation's president doing the same thing.
 
I just don't remember any other president making a special trip to sell their home town (or any town) for the Olympics. I see that as the duty of the mayor of Chicago or state representatives.

So we send a Senator and/or a Mayor and the other countries send their President's and Kings? I think we would lose the bid just on lack of commitment.

I would speculate if Obama didn't attempt a campaign for the bid the headlines would be reading, "Obama denies the US billions of dollars in revenue by ignoring Olympic host bid", instead off what they are, which is his failure at winning the bid he campaigns for. It's really a no one situation for him.
 
Wrong, we have the Messiah of Liberalism in power now. He will deliver us, but his current attempts have failed. Countries around the world hailed his election. That should automatically have catapulted us into a fresh start.

Mr. Corsi seems to have made a strong impression on you.
 
Why don't you quote my entire post?

Why would I need to quote the whole post to make my point? This part sounds just like the talking heads in the DNC and the Liberals who parrott it:

Quote: Originally Posted by MyOwnDrum
Anyone who thinks Fox news is really 'fair and balanced' is deluding themselves. This article is so blatantly biased, it's laughable

......But they need to brush up on their finesse in hiding their obvious slant to the news a little better, for God's sake!


Nothing more be stated. :doh
 
Sure thing. There were 4 bidding cities, Tokyo, Chicago, Rio, and Madrid.

Tokyo Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama was there.
Spanish King Juan Carlos was there.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was there.
President Obama was there.

I should have asked how many US Presidents have attended and made presentations.

Economically it makes sense if winning the bid could bring billions of dollars of revenue to the country. Would you support Obama savings a few tens of thousands of dollars to possibly forfeit billions of potential revenue?

Why are you so convinced that a US city is incapable of winning an Olympic venue without the President being there to make their case?

As far as I can tell, this is unprecedented for an American President and the first time a US President went before the Olympic Committee to lobby for it.

So back to my point, with all the other issues we are dealing with, is this wise use of Taxpayer money?

How much do you think it costs to fly the President and Michelle in separate aircraft to Copenhagen with their security details? Do you really think it is tens of thousands?

The flight isn't cheap. In a 2006 report, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee came up with the following figures: $56,518 per hour to fly Air Force One and $6,960 per hour to fly the accompanying cargo planes.

According to the White House Web site, "Several cargo planes typically fly ahead of Air Force One to provide the president with services needed in remote locations." If you assume "several" means three, that's roughly $77,000 per flight hours for one trip. It's about 440 miles from Andrews Air Force Base to the South Bend airport, so roughly two hours round trip, for a flight cost of $154,000. "The taxpayer bears most of the cost," according to Waxman's report.
 
I will call a spade a spade, no matter which side is the guilty party. Fox News claims to be 'fair and balanced'. They are, in fact, slanted, just like the other networks. They have carved out a market niche for themselves of people who want an alternative to the standard liberal Obama cheerleading squad.

My suggestion is that they do this with more skill than the obvious bias in the article I presented.

And yet, I gave you evidence with your own story that their news was merely a reflection of all the other news out there whereas you made the farcical claim that they spin their news way to the right rather than being fair and balanced.

Tsk tsk, you can't even get the story straight in a thread you created. :doh
 
Anyone who thinks Fox news is really 'fair and balanced' is deluding themselves. This article is so blatantly biased, it's laughable

I still appreciate the fact that Fox News exists and they, like the liberal press, have their place. But they need to brush up on their finesse in hiding their obvious slant to the news a little better, for God's sake! :doh


Obama's Olympic Failure Highlights Limits of His International Appeal - Political News - FOXNews.com

It is not so much as Obama being a failure, as it was Rio putting together an argument that could not be defeated. There has NEVER been an Olympics in South America. Now there will be one.

Congratulations to Rio for its persistence. The best argument won the day.
 
Why are you so convinced that a US city is incapable of winning an Olympic venue without the President being there to make their case?

As far as I can tell, this is unprecedented for an American President and the first time a US President went before the Olympic Committee to lobby for it.

So back to my point, with all the other issues we are dealing with, is this wise use of Taxpayer money?

When did I say the US couldn't win an Olympic venue with the President being involved?

Obama obviously felt that winning as host country for the 2016 Olympics would be economically and morally uplifting to America. Should Obama not pursue these types of opportunities?

By the way, when did it become unacceptable for a President to perform an actions unless a President before has done it as well?


How much do you think it costs to fly the President and Michelle in separate aircraft to Copenhagen with their security details? Do you really think it is tens of thousands?

The flight isn't cheap. In a 2006 report, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee came up with the following figures: $56,518 per hour to fly Air Force One and $6,960 per hour to fly the accompanying cargo planes.

According to the White House Web site, "Several cargo planes typically fly ahead of Air Force One to provide the president with services needed in remote locations." If you assume "several" means three, that's roughly $77,000 per flight hours for one trip. It's about 440 miles from Andrews Air Force Base to the South Bend airport, so roughly two hours round trip, for a flight cost of $154,000. "The taxpayer bears most of the cost," according to Waxman's report.

Is Copenhagen, Denmark considered a "remote location"? Is a cargo ship used when the President is only on the ground for a few hours? Obama arrived there Friday morning and was flying back by mid day.

I would like to read on Waxman's overview. How much of that $56k is including funds still spent even when the Air Force One isn't used? Does he include salaries of accompanying individuals? Does he account for any financial savings at the White House with the President not be there, if any?
 
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I don't fault the Prez for attempting to represent "our" interest. The problem is that he was representing the interest of Chicago not our country, and Chicago is by all accounts our most crime ridden, graft ridden city. I would not want anyone there to benefit from something as massive as the Olympics.

The above notwithstanding, Brazil should have the Olympics because S.Amer. has never had an olympics. No other criteria need be applied unless Brazil is so screwed up it could not handle it. It can.
 
Once again we see your “objective voice” lacking anything considered to be “objective.”

I'll let others abroad of the U.S. speak for me on this issue...

Quote:
To those Americans viscerally anti-Obama:

You've got more genuine respect in the world than you've had for over a decade. And why? Because your compatriots had the good sense to vote in someone who's not an up-himself-elsewhere sabre rattler.

Someone who at least has some intellect and knows there are other places beyond your shores. You probably couldn't care less, but how America's viewed by the rest of the world matters. Obama knows that.

Notwithstanding the current world financial crisis emanates from the Right wing ideology of not so much a free market, but a naked one, and began its inevitable collapse where you are, you really have to despair over whether some of you lot will ever wake up to yourselves.

How on earth can you justify criticism of Obama when your only alternative has just presided over this whole disaster?

Until you comprehend that you can't bully everyone into accepting your mantra of so-called "freedom", you can't "buy" everything, that other cultures are different because that's just how it is, and that the world outside of the good ol' US of A knows it, barricade yourselves in in the way only you know how. You'll not be missed.


I would like to see where this newfound respect is coming from? If the above is an example of it, the irony has obviously escaped you. In the Middle East, I haven’t seen any signs of it. I am not sure where it is in Europe.

It is as ironic as the notion that those who are "viscerally" anti-Obama have no reason to be; but then, that would require the willing suspension of disbelief based on his first nine months in office.

I am amused by the notion that by playing into the hands of our enemies and jealous allies we are somehow garnering more respect. It is almost as amusing as assuming that nations like France, Russia or China’s opinions would have the remotest credibility considering their histories.

...and...

Quote:
Does America realise that they do not have automatic title to field the Olympics very 12/16 years when they snap their fingers? There are other continents with the right to a shot. The USA needs to finally get it through its head that the world is not only America and the great dollar. Anyway the music's better in Brazil!!


What was the source of these articles?

Who made the argument that Americans think we have an automatic title to the Olympics? The author of this comment sounds like the typical angry, uninformed Euro-Liberal who fabricates arguments no one has made to lend a false credibility to their own emotional hysterics.

I give him an "A" for effort, but even I knew Chicago wasn't going to win when up against Rio, Madrid and Tokyo.

Wow, even though YOU knew Chicago didn’t have a chance in hell (something Obama must not have been able to foretell) and although it is unprecedented for a US President to present in Copenhagen, you give him an “A” for failing to even make it through the first round of votes.

We are relegated to lowering the bar so low now that even the mentally challenged could jump over it in our efforts to support this new but failed feel-good Liberalism.

Add this bid to the list of failures this Administration has accomplished in its first nine months; failed to even get past the first round of votes, failure to reign in the deficit, failure to reign in the national debt, failure to reduce the rate of unemployment as promised and failure to stimulate the economy.

One can only hope that he fails to pass universal healthcare which will do NOTHING to reduce costs, do NOTHING to improve our health and only ADD trillions to the deficits and National debt.
 
How much do you think it costs to fly the President and Michelle in separate aircraft to Copenhagen with their security details? Do you really think it is tens of thousands?

The flight isn't cheap. In a 2006 report, U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee came up with the following figures: $56,518 per hour to fly Air Force One and $6,960 per hour to fly the accompanying cargo planes.

According to the White House Web site, "Several cargo planes typically fly ahead of Air Force One to provide the president with services needed in remote locations." If you assume "several" means three, that's roughly $77,000 per flight hours for one trip. It's about 440 miles from Andrews Air Force Base to the South Bend airport, so roughly two hours round trip, for a flight cost of $154,000. "The taxpayer bears most of the cost," according to Waxman's report.

Come, now, TD. Since when has the American citizen ever cared about how much it cost any sitting President to be flown anywhere be it domestically or internationally? This only became a concern with President Obama. But the Conservative right didn't care when Reagan fly hither and yawn. They didn't care when Bush-41 flew to Saudi Arabia or Kuwait and they didn't care about how much was being spent when GWB flew internationally for any reason either. But all of a sudden, they care about travel cost associated with AF-1 under President Obama? Give me a break, man!

You know, the absordity of this entire issue is Conservatives are quick to claim that President Obama is anti-American, but the moment he goes out to lobby for America on an global scale suddenly you all denounce his efforts. Such hypercrits!!!

You can't have it both ways.

Frankly, I don't think he could have won for losing in this matter. Had he stayed home while the leaders of the other three leading candidate cities went and lobbied for their nation city, the opposition would have hounded him for not going and continued to laud these anti-American rants. But since he did go and lost the Olympic bid, now the opposition is calling his lobbying efforts a monumental failure.

I really don't think you people know what you want except to continue to stir the pot and :spin: everything way out of control. It's ridiculous to say the least!

As to where I got the comments from in my last post? They were comments posted by people internationally from the very Times online article you post on page 3 to this thread. Like this one...

So who cares, Chicago lost the olympic bid. Is it so inconceivable that a city other than an American city might win anything-South Africa is hosting the Football world cup and so why shouldnt a South American city or any other developing country host an equally prestigious even. It sends a message- the IOC and other organisations occasionaly favor the underdog- is that so bad.(Yes it is politically motivated- blah, blah, blah!!)

It would appear that B. Obama is now responsible for the weather, war, waste, health reform, extra marital affairs, erectile dysfunction and every other ailment that may or may not befall the average American who as it happens dislikes the Obama administration. As for the world being more dangerous now under the Obama administration than under the Bush administration i think Americans (and not all) should reserve those comments for the US only- large parts of the world despised Bush- anti Amercian sentiment soared. When seeing things from space most see planet earth, too many Americans see PLANET AMERICA. Rio won, Chicago lost and Obama is accountable why?
Perhaps you should read more of how the world views this President and how he's changing the image of the United States for the better internationally instead of seeing things through partician glasses.
 
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I don't fault the Prez for attempting to represent "our" interest. The problem is that he was representing the interest of Chicago not our country, and Chicago is by all accounts our most crime ridden, graft ridden city. I would not want anyone there to benefit from something as massive as the Olympics.

The above notwithstanding, Brazil should have the Olympics because S.Amer. has never had an olympics. No other criteria need be applied unless Brazil is so screwed up it could not handle it. It can.

So you believe if the Olympics were in Chicago that only Chicago would benefit from this and America as a whole would not see an economic increase as a result of the games? Is Chicago that self-sufficient?
 
And yet, still behind the state of California.

That's not saying much. There are only 8 countries in the world with a higher GDP than California. Hell you would need to combine the GDP of both Texas and New York to just barely beat California.
 
I cannot believe this.

9 months into Obama's presidency the liberals are still blaming Bush?

:roll:

When they've got no retort left, which is almost every debate at this point, they've got to pull out the stock answer.
 
Come, now, TD. Since when has the American citizen ever cared about how much it cost any sitting President to be flown anywhere be it domestically or internationally?

Since Obama decided government should determine salaries and perks that company executives should be allowed to receive.
 
I cannot believe this.

9 months into Obama's presidency the liberals are still blaming Bush?

:roll:

Hey, some people clearly see the need to make the Olympic selection far more political than it needs to be. Some conservatives see it as humorous against Obama, whereas, apparently, my first time seeing this, a liberal thinks it is possible a reflection on Bush.

The United States of America is clearly on the thoughts of everyone in the world at all times!
 
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