The unhinged right on America’s Olympic Loss

Last year Bush had this to say about the Olympic bid “This country supports your bid strongly.” This year we saw the anti-Americanism and anti-Obama hatred from the right, as clearly encapsulated in this discussion yesterday with Rachel Maddow on Meet the Press.

P.S. Mark my words – Rachel Maddow is being groomed to replace David Gregory on Meet the Press.

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4 thoughts on “The unhinged right on America’s Olympic Loss

  1. It’s called Schadenfreude and it happens all the time, even to decent human beings. I think as much as anything, in this case it also comes from the fact that it seemed like the Administration thought President Obama was just going to show up, say a few words and that would bring the Olympics to Chicago. Axelrod, among others has expressed astonishment – they thought the US & Chicago had the bid locked up, that it was a done deal. That level of hubris certainly helps fuel a bit of Schadenfreude. It also says something about their ability to read a situation. All you had to do was look at map of host cities – Olympics have never been in South America and only once below the equator – and anyone should be able to figure out that Rio was the choice.

    The other thing of course, is that while hosting the Olympics can be a tremendous boost to the local economy, it can also go the other way. The prospect of spending probably billions of dollars – much of it on structures that will be used once and destroyed or sit vacant – well it’s not all that unreasonable to say, let somebody else do it. I know some people – on both sides of the aisle – who think this way.

    All of this is not to say, part of it isn’t also more nasty. I’m sure there are plenty of people who just want to see Obama fail at everything he does regardless of whether it’s bad for Americans or not. I don’t want to be the guy who makes excuses for the 100% partisan idiots – as much as I probably come across that way sometimes. But often I am willing to try & defend the more reasonable people who get lumped in with the idiots.

    And Maddow doing MTP? But I thought that was supposed to be an objective, non-partisan show 🙂
    Gregory has run the show into the ground being such a partisan hack. For crying out loud Steffanapolis is much, much more objective & willing to ask tough questions of the current administration – which is why his ratings are higher and issues from his show move on to other media & are debated & discussed through the week. When was the last time MTP did anything notable. Maddow would probably add some life – and maybe bring some viewers. But at that point, the only resemblance to Meet the Press of the past would be the name.

    1. Thanks for the comment Locke.

      I disagree with you on Obama going to Copenhagen. I believe that the White House knew Chicago would not win, hence the limited amount of time and political capital they spent on the initiative. The pressure that they got was from the political establishment in Chicago and within the USOC that would have damned him if he didn’t go and America lost the bid. This made it essential that he go there, even knowing it was a long shot. He also knew that having the leader of the finalist countries present to the IOC had become the standard for winning entrants.

      I do agree with you on the costs of the Olympics, being excessive and problematic for a community. However, I was looking forward to watching the biking time trials to be held in Madison.

      In terms of Rachel Maddow, watch her interview with Alan Grayson, a progressive Dem, where she asks him 3 times whether the use of the term holocaust was appropriate or not. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfwza0jo1yw (starts at 7:27). She clearly disagrees with this word choice. She has the chops to bring an alternative perspective and positive, but aggressive interview style to Sunday morning tv. Given that she has been on twice in the past couple of months, I believe that the programming people at NBC recognize this too. I think Gregory has run the show into the ground because he isn’t a very good reporter and his style grates on people. I don’t believe it is partisanship as such. Media properties like MTP need to be refreshed and RM would do this.

      1. I have no problem with the President – any President – going to make a pitch for the Olympics in their country/city. Nothing wrong with that at all. But it was clear the Administration didn’t exactly go all-in. They were initially cool on the idea. It wasn’t until the USOC and Chicago 2016 team convinced them it would be close and that his presence would/could put them over the top that they finally got over their hesitancy. Also, stop and think about what you said. He’s the President of the United States and had to do what the “pressure from the political establishment in Chicago” told him to do. If true, that’s a frightening statement.

        I do have to admit to being turned off by the whole Olympic Experience™ lately. It’s become so political, so much corruption. It’s all about the almighty dollar and the billion dollar broadcasts are so overly produced & packaged I find high school sports much more compelling and interesting. And the thought of ESPN running it makes it full on nauseating. I’m a huge sports fan and the only time I watch the four letter word is to see an actual game – and even then, most of the time I do my best to tune it out and just watch the game itself.

  2. Yeah it sure would be wrong to root against the President, even on something as trivial as Olympic games. But wait, I seem to remember just a year or two ago there were plenty of liberals wishing for Bush to fail and on something as serious as “the surge” and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    And MadCityMan, I don’t know what you are smoking in Madison, but NBC would be nuts to give MTB to the unabashed liberal Maddow. Or maybe I am naive to how liberal NBC has become. You have got to be joking. I sure do miss Tim Russert. I haven’t watched since he left and if Maddow takes the spot I sure won’t be tuning in ever again.

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