First For President Barack Obama: Conservatives Act Like He Is First Leader To Lobby For Olympics

As we know all too well, Barack Obama is considered the first black president (the first non-white male) of the United States of America. It was a historic first, but it appears some conservatives do not think it was the last historic first for the new president. It seems many conservatives are just plain up in arms over the belief Barack Obama now has become (are you ready for this?) the first president to ever go overseas and lobby to host the Olympics.

I mean … surely no other president or leader of a nation has done that before. Perhaps conservatives see this as another case of President Obama getting uppity and acting like he is … the president? Hmm. What could be going through this man’s mind … acting like he is president of the United States of America and fighting for the people of the nation he leads.

From Think Progress:

Brazil, Spain, and Japan — the other three 2016 finalists — all sent their country’s leaders to Copenhagen, as MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow pointed out on NBC’s Meet the Press today. Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks said that he was proud Obama had “put his country ahead of his own personal prestige”:

MADDOW: In 2012, London got the Olympics after Blair tried for them. In 2014, Russia got them after Putin tried for them, and in 2016, all four finalists sent their head of government or head of state to make the argument. Obama did nothing unreasonable, and it would have been a shock if Chicago won. For them to be cheering America’s loss here on the right, I think is sort of disgusting. [...]

BROOKS: Nonetheless, I have to say, I’m with Obama on this. He took a risk, he comes away somewhat humiliated, but he took a risk for his town, he took a risk for his country, he put his country ahead of his own personal prestige, and he lost one. I actually don’t mind it. I think he was all right on this.

We should be all proud of the work so many people from the U.S. Olympic Committee and elsewhere did to try and bring the Olympics of 2016 to the U.S. Obviously, a lot of conservatives were rooting against the U.S., but the greatness of the country will win out over the self-interested conservatives who seem only believe strongly in patriotism when a Republican is in the White House.

Congratulations to Brazil, but shame on those in the U.S. who rooted against their country due largely to political bias.

Another Example Of Far-Right Lunacy Relative To U.S. Failure To Get Olympics As Conservatives Cheer

Conservatives have been gleefully applauding the failure of the United States and the U.S. Olympic Committee to bring the 2016 Olympic Games to U.S. soil. They’ve been cheering against our country. Here is an example from far-right commentator Bill Kristol (predictably on Fox News Sunday) who had that familiar grin on his face as he attempted to attack President Obama’s work to try and assist the USOC in bringing the games to the United States of America.

KRISTOL: There are so many ironies in this. By Barack Obama’s view of the world, he should have been rooting for Brazil to get the Olympics. South America has never gotten them, Brazil has never gotten them. It is a rising power, it would help Brazil. We don’t need the Olympics, we have had them a million times. Our economy doesn’t need the boost of the Olympics (he said with sarcasm). And then [Obama] in a sort of George W. Bush like way goes and tries to bully the International Olympic Committee… ‘Come walk with us. I’m here for America.’

More from the conservative commentator:

KRISTOL: Come walk with us. I’m here for America. Can you imagine if some Republican — if Bush had done this and we hadn’t gotten it? Typical Bush heavy-handedness, cowboy unilateralist, hegemonic imperialist action. Obama falls into that trap and they went for it. I must say you couldn’t help be amused by it.

Ah, but if the president had rooted for Brazil he would have, once again, been called anti-American.

World leaders often lobby for the Olympics.

Imagine if liberals had been cheering had G.W. Bush (who didn’t have to worry about his citizenship being questioned or being labeled by so many as anti-American, a hater of America and so on) gone and tried to secure the Olympics for the U.S. and failed. Liberals would be called anti-American, haters of America and so on.

It’s interesting that now President Obama now is being called a bully (and conservatives now are even throwing G.W. Bush under the bus as they’ve decided to eat one of their own).

Clearly President Obama was trying to do something that would have been great for the U.S. to bring people to our great country and show that we can put on a first-class Olympics (as we’ve done in the past). President Obama has been working to rebuild the bridges destroyed during the previous administration that left the U.S. isolated and disliked around the world. President Obama, showing that relationships were partnerships appealed to our neighbors in the world and showed them that the U.S. has been great, but not perfect and that other nations are great in their own ways, but not perfect. For that, the president was slammed with idiotic accusations such as charging him with going on an “apology tour” (a favorite of right-wing nuts).

Now, Kristol is accusing the president (who went over to try and show the greatness of America) of trying to be a bully. It’s laughable.

When conservatives see President fighting for America they call him a bully and when they see him as not fighting for America that basically label him anti-American.

Kristol has let his right-wing bias drive him nutty.

Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/04/bill-kristol-revels-in-ol_n_309011.html

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/10/04/kristol-obama-olympics/

Some In The U.S. Ignore, Don’t Understand, Or Don’t Care About Olympic Spirit … Unless Their Party Has Presidency

None of these conservatives would have been cheering if the United States of America had lost a chance to host the 2016 Olympics … if John McCain had won the presidency. I suspect there might have been some politics from a few on the left, but I don’t see any way that people on the left would have been cheerleading as our nation, the United States of America, lost an opportunity to host the Olympic Games of 2016. The official U.S. bid, which would have hosted the game in Chicago, failed … much to the stunning joy of so many on the right wing of the political spectrum.

Roland Martin, a popular CNN contributor, wrote a column about the events surrounding the U.S. losing the chance to host the Olympic Games.

Wrote Martin:

I can recall crying along with millions of Americans when our hockey team beat the Russians and won the hockey gold in 1980. Where were those games? Lake Placid, New York. Euphoria spread all across the nation, not only because we beat the mighty Russians, but also because it took place on American soil.

When Carl Lewis and Mary Lou Retton dominated the 1984 Olympic Games, we all beamed with pride because they represented the United States on American soil in Los Angeles, California.

And when Michael Johnson stormed around the track to obliterate the world record in the 200-meter dash (since broken by Jamaica’s Usain Bolt), we relished the win as he took a victory lap around the stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Americans love home field advantage, and we always desire to show the rest of the world what we are made of.

Many of these hate-driven conservatives cheering the defeat of the U.S., have disgraced an Olympic spirit they could not possibly understand or know – unless one of their own is president.

It has been much easier for them to cheer against the country, bash our president and trash the great city of Chicago.

CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/03/martin.olympics.defeat/index.html

Those Opposed To The United States’ Bid To Host Olympics Used Strategy

Those who were anti-United States of America, and the country’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics, cheered as our nation lost its bid to host the Games. To try and hide their anti-U.S. sentiment, the conservative forces of opposition have tried to make President Barack Obama the face of the bid and to make Chicago the face of the bid. Mr. Obama is our president and Chicago is not a foreign country … it is in the U.S. and this was our nation’s official bid to host the Games. Those who opposed the Olympics (the ones who cheered) seem to be anti-U.S. It’s one thing not to want the Games, but to cheer at our nation’s failure speaks lowly of some of these hate-driven individuals.

Here is another example from Media Matters for America:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200910020043

More Hate-Driven Republican Reaction Over U.S. Losing The Olympics

Here is a “Republican strategist” named Rich Galen making fun of the United States of American failing to win the right to host the 2016 Olympics.

“Other than people who like to cheer, ‘We’re No. 4! We’re No. 4!’ I don’t know how this is anything but really embarrassing,” Republican strategist Rich Galen said, adding that Obama’s failed pitch will probably be the joke on Capitol Hill for weeks to come.

“Given the last two months starting with the August recess and all of the issues that surrounded that, I think that the White House staff, the senior staff needs to get together somewhere and figure out how they are going to fix this, because they are in a deep slump,” he said.

Here is House Minority Leader John Boehner (to Politico) taking a cheap shot at President Obama who was trying to bring the Olympics to the United States of America.

“Listen, I think it’s a great idea to promote Chicago, but he’s the president of the United States, not the mayor of Chicago. And the problems we have here at home affect all Americans, and that’s where his attention ought to be.”

Where is the pride in America from these Republicans and why the hate for Chicago all of a sudden?

Minority Leader Boehner should know that Chicago is not a foreign country. It is in the United States of America. President Obama is president of the United States of America.

We know there are plenty of problems here … maybe Republicans should have worked harder during the last eight years to take care of them when they had the White House and maybe the GOP should cooperate a little to finally get health care taken care of.

This president has enough energy to take on a lot of tasks.

President Obama was a great ambassador for this country (fighting to rebuild bridges destroyed during the cowboy-diplomacy era) and all of us should have been behind him.

Some of us were not and you have to wonder what the real reason for that truly is.

Were Haters Of America Rooting Against The Olympics Coming To The U.S.?

What is considered anti-American behavior these days?

It seems, increasingly so, that the line is being blurred as far as anti-American activity is concerned.

Many conservatives (who clearly do not have the best interests of this country at heart … particularly on this issue) actively were cheerleading against the United States of America in its effort to secure the 2016 Olympics and bashing a great American city like Chicago in the process.

This is from Media Matters for America:

Conservative media figures have celebrated the International Olympic Committee’s elimination of Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics and used the event to bash President Obama, who flew to Copenhagen to lobby IOC members on behalf of Chicago’s bid. For instance, Glenn Beck called the news that Chicago’s bid had failed “so sweet,” Rush Limbaugh declared himself “happy” and “gleeful” with the results, and Matt Drudge proclaimed: “World rejects Obama.”

Right wingers have been pleased to see Americans fail in their bid to host the Olympics.

Why should career haters like Limbaugh, Beck and Drudge care about the hard work that so many good people in this country put in to try and bring the 2016 Olympic Games to the United States of America.

Many of these are the same people, with a stunning hypocrisy, have strongly criticized President Obama for supposedly not standing up for America. These same “great Americans” have been campaigning against this country getting the Olympics.

Here are some of the samples of right-wing glee over the U.S. losing from those “great Americans” out there:

Rush Limbaugh: For those “upset that I sound gleeful — I am. I don’t deny it. I’m happy.” On his radio program, Limbaugh stated: “Folks, the ego has landed. The world has rejected Obama. Chicago, the least number of votes, first elimination in the round of voting for the Olympics in 2016. … When you stop to think about it, folks, doesn’t it make sense? Our president, Barack Hussein Obama — mmm, mmm, mmm, Barack Hussein Obama mmm, mmm, mmm — had been running around the world for nine months telling everybody how much our country sucks. He’s been running around the world apologizing for the United States of America. Why would anybody award the Olympics to such a crappy place as the United States of America?” Later in the program, after reading a series of headlines about Chicago’s elimination, Limbaugh explained why he is “gleeful” and “happy” about the failure of its Olympic bid …

Michelle Malkin: “Goodbye, ‘Yes We Can.’ Hello, ‘No, You Can’t.’ “ Fox News contributor Michelle Malkin wrote: “Goodbye, ‘Yes We Can.’ Hello, ‘No, You Can’t.’ Like Icarus, President Obama’s giddy ego flight has ended with melted wax and fallen wings. This is a big win and a massive relief for taxpayers. But Chicago cronies are not going to take this well. Gird your loins.”

Beck: “Oh, it’s so sweet” that Chicago’s bid failed; “savor this moment.” On his radio program, Beck said: “Do not go anywhere. Don’t — do not look at the screen. Don’t — don’t go to any other radio stations. Nothing. You don’t want to hear this news — I mean, please, please let me break this news to you. Oh, it’s so sweet.” After a commercial break, Beck’s producer stated that “the first round of voting is up for the Olympic games, and the first city” — at which point Beck interrupted, saying, “Wait! Wait for it! Wait for it. Enjoy this — savor this moment.” The producer continued, “And the first city to be eliminated is Chicago.” Beck later asked his producer if Chicago’s elimination was proof that Obama had “failed.” [Premiere Radio Networks' The Glenn Beck Show, 10/2/09]

The greatness of this country is that it allows people like this, individuals who actively cheer against our country and the hard-working people of our country, to have such great platforms.

It shows the bitterness and sour grapes that people like Limbaugh, Malkin, Drudge and Beck are happy to see the country fail if it helps their far-right political agenda.

So, the greatness of this country means we have to take the good with the bad. But, this is really bad.

It’s good, in the long run, for Democrats.

With all of this hate, the Republican Party will continue to shrink and become marginalized.

Losing this one battle (disappointing as it is for some) may help the Left win the war.

White House Takes On Conservative Misinformation Coming From Fox News, Glenn Beck

The White House’s blog is taking on misinformation being put out on Fox News by the likes of Glenn Beck. As many of you know the far right has been going nuts about President Obama and others working hard to bring the 2016 Olympics to the United States of America. Anyone else remember some of these same Republicans criticizing the president for going overseas on so-called “apology” tours? President Obama is fighting for the U.S. to have the Olympics and many conservatives are fighting against bringing the Olympics to their own country. Where is the patriotism in these right wingers that makes them not want to work hard to bring the Olympics to the U.S. and showcase the greatness of our country? Are these conservatives now, all of a sudden, haters of America (so bitter they would rather see the Olympic games go to pretty much any other country)?

 

When President George W. Bush was in office this would have been deemed anti-American by conservatives.

 

From The White House blog:

Last night Fox News continued its disregard for the facts in an attempt to smear the Administration’s efforts to win the Olympics for the United States. In the past, hosting the Olympics has been a source of pride and unity for the country, but once again Fox News’ Glenn Beck program has shown that nothing is worthy of respect if it can be used as part of a partisan attack to boost ratings.

 

RHETORIC:          BECK SAID VANCOUVER LOST $1 BILLION WHEN IT “HAD THE OLYMPICS.”   Glenn Beck said, “Vancouver lost, how much was it? they lost a billion dollars when they had the Olympics.”  [Transcript, Glenn Beck Show, 9/29/09]

 

REALITY:              VANCOUVER’S OLYMPICS WILL NOT TAKE PLACE UNTIL 2010.   Vancouver will host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games from February 12 – 28, 2010 and March 12-21, 2010, respectively. [Vancouver2010.com, accessed 9/29/09]

 

RHETORIC:          CHICAGO IS CLOSING THE GOVERNMENT SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO BE OPEN. Beck’s guest Caddell said, “Chicago is closing the government several days a week because they cannot afford to be open. They are going to go and reward — this is the biggest scandal.” [Transcript, Glenn Beck Show, 9/29/09]

 

REALITY:              CHICAGO HAS HAD ONE REDUCED-SERVICE DAY IN 2009, AND WILL HAVE TWO MORE ON THE FRIDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING AND ON CHRISTMAS EVE.  On August 17, 2009, CBS Chicago reported, “If you planned to check out a library book, visit a city clinic or have your garbage picked up on Monday, you’re out of luck.   The City of Chicago is basically closed for business on Aug. 17, a reduced-service day in which most city employees are off without pay. City Hall, public libraries, health clinics and most city offices will be closed.  Emergency service providers including police, firefighters and paramedics are working at full strength, but most services not directly related to public safety, including street sweeping, will not be provided.  That also includes garbage pickup. Residents who receive regular collection on Mondays should expect trash to be picked up on Tuesday. Some other customers may experience a one-day delay as collectors catch up.  As part of the 2009 budget, three reduced-service days were planned for 2009, days which are unpaid for all affected employees — the Friday after Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve; and New Year’s Eve. The City Council recently approved moving the reduced-service day planned for New Year’s Eve to Monday.  The 2009 budget anticipates saving $8.3 million due to the reduced-service days.   In addition to reduced service days, all non-union employees were asked to take a series of furlough days and unpaid holidays, and most non-sworn union employees agreed to similar unpaid time off.” [CBS Chicago, 8/17/09]

 

RHETORIC: VALERIE JARRETT WILL BENEFIT FINANCIALLY. Beck asked, “Is it possible that she is going to benefit if the Olympics come to Chicago?” Caddell responded, “Well, that’s the word. She has certainly had a lot of dealings going on in real estate.” [Transcript, Glenn Beck Show, 9/29/09]

 

REALITY: UPON ENTERING GOVERNMENT, VALERIE JARRETT DIVESTED ALL HER REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT HOLDINGS EXCEPT FOR A SINGLE INVESTMENT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE OLYMPIC BID. Valerie Jarrett divested all her investment real estate holdings upon entering government except for a single real estate holding that she was unable to sell. This single real estate investment has been determined by White House Counsel and the independent Office of Government Ethics to present no conflict of interest in performing her duties as a White House advisor.  It has nothing to do with the Olympic bid.

 It’s nice to see more and more people stepping up to combat this blatant  misinformation being spread all over the place (not to mention the ridiculous and unfair attacks on the good people of Chicago).

 

The White House Blog:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Reality-Check-Turning-a-Point-of-Pride-into-a-Moment-of-Shame/

Chuck Daly: 1930-2009

Honestly, I could sit here for hours and write a lot of great things about Chuck Daly, the former head basketball coach of the Detroit Pistons (where he won back to back championships in 1988-89 and 1989-90) and the head coach of the original men’s basketball Dream Team that played in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Daly passed away over the weekend after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Daly, as a Hall of Famer, obviously was a great coach. But, more than anything, he appeared by all accounts to be a good and decent man. That is the mark of someone who is a true champion. Daly was a champion at many different levels on the basketball court, but his greatest championship was being a championship-caliber man. Many of us will miss Daddy Rich.

ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4153982

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09130/969161-275.stm