Americans, quick to go to war, shocked to hear the world isn't that crazy about us.

[Barack_America]

Um, hello?

The Chicago delegation goes over there with what has been described as "little passion", save for the Obamas.

Rio had pledged the most money towards the games.

A majority of Chicagoans either didn't want the games or didn't care.

South America had never hosted the games and was excited to do so.

The world is suffering an economic collapse that started with our thieving banks here.

And so on, and so on...


...all that and this country just expects to be handed the games because, you know, we're the United States.

Well, welcome to your new place in the world, America. Let that slap of the face sting for a little while. It'll be good for you.

If you thought that it would be as easy as electing Obama to wash the stain Bush left on this country, think again.


I'm almost wishing it goes to Madrid, where the MSM didn't even bother to send cameras.

[Romulox]

1. It's worse than that: they want the Olympics to "reform our image"

without any of the hard work of actually ending the practices that the world so hate (such as War Without End in Iraq and Afghanistan.)

[Barack_America]

3. Good point. A political "Sham Wow!" if you would.

Some stains require good ol' fashioned scrubbing.

[Kolesar]

6. Like China ... eom

[Barack_America]

10. Difference. China owns the world.

We don't.

That's the reality, courtesy of decades of RW policies.

[Kolesar]

14. Saudis own 11% of our country according to Michael Moore

in Fahrenheit 9-11

[leftstreet]

22. +1

[anonymous171]

32. Reminds me of the Soviet Union in the 1980s. nt

[no_hypocrisy]

2. The "real" reason:

The World: Oprah who?

[dysfunctional press]

4. wrong.

oprah is very well known worldwide- and many of the ioc members were getting her autograph.

[jeffbr]

5. Well, it'll be a long time before another American president grovels before the IOC

Obama shouldn't have wasted his time.

[Barack_America]

9. Grovels? How so?

In any case, please resist the RW temptation to make this all about Obama when it is really about the entire country and Chicago's bid, in particular.

[iceman66]

11. The leaders of Japan, Brazil and Spain 'groveled' as well.

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Looking back on not looking back...

Our image is in deep shit because we don't uphold our laws or anyone else's laws. I guess they were afraid that we are so good at water-boarding the rest of the world wouldn't stand a chance.

[Echo In Light]

8. Those outside looking in see the SHAM that those inside refuse to acknowledge

[BlooInBloo]

12. (shrug) Congrats to the remaining contestants...

And lolz to the DUers and others who are unable to move on without ginning up some universe-sized "lesson" from this.

[Barack_America]

15. Yeah, the Olympics. No big deal.

And politics never factor into their decisions.

But you should check out the stunned faces on MSNBC. It's quite humorous.

[BlooInBloo]

17. (shrug) We played; we lost. It happens. The tut-tutting from anti-Obama people should be choice

though!

At last their prayers have been answered - Obama's first genuine *loss*. :rofl:

[Barack_America]

23. But the sense seemed to be that we weren't "playing"...

...that this were were sure to get it because we're the US.

Seriously, the stunned faces in the media and the furious attempt to re-write their scripts was hilarious.

[BlooInBloo]

25. As the saying goes: that's why they play the game.

[JVS]

Not playing makes it even less of a big deal. If we'd been trying and lost, it would be different.

[Dover]

13. Thanks to our insular practices and a media unwilling to provide the big picture...

it probably IS a shock. But for the rest of the world the feeling is nothing new.
I was abroad in the mid-80's and that was the first time I discovered how others felt
about Americans. By being so insular we cannot possibly be in relationship to others,
know and gauge their feelings and get their honest responses. This blindness is a
huge handicap and leads to an appearance of being arrogant and self-centered. Of course
we are, because there is no mirror being held up for us by others.

[RagAss]

16. We have no concept of how hated we are in the world.

[XOKCowboy]

18. How much did the threat of domestic terrorism affect the decision?

Remember that the rest of the world doesn't watch ABC/NBC/FOX etc. They have seen images of the crazy Teabagger Parties and have heard all about the threats to kill our President. Whether we like it or not, we're seen more and more as out of control, warmongering, clueless hicks by the rest of the world.

Just saying...

[Barack_America]

20. It seems to be all that our media covers....

....so I wouldn't be surprised if it other nation's picked it up.

And not just the tea bagger stuff, but all of the ill-will and infighting in general.

[BlueMTexpat]

19. One very practical consideration is also that INS could very easily deny entry to

many of the competitors, using "national security" concerns and the IOC probably didn't want to deal with that, particularly when the fund pledges from Chicago had been so slow to arrive. Since the *Co years, requirements for advance notification to travel to the US even for businesspersons who travel routinely have been among the reasons why several multinationals have been quietly relocating HQ operations to central European locations.

[Barack_America]

21. Didn't we also recently reveal a desire to charge people $10...

...just for the pleasure of entering our great nation?

That probably wasn't very bright.

[BlueMTexpat]

26. I hadn't even heard about that one! n/t

[AllentownJake]

24. The 1980 summer Olympics puts things in even more in perspective

[JVS]

29. That was the best olympics ever!

[JimWis]

27. Great post Barrack_America. Excellent thoughts.

[anonymous171]

28. lol Don't blame Americans, we aren't in control. nt

[MilesColtrane]

30. ...then there's that whole torture thing, plus destroying the world economy.

The BushCo stench won't soon wash off.

[Barack_America]

31. Don't invite company over until you've finished cleaning up.

And man do we have a clean up job ahead of us.

[MilesColtrane]

37. Yep, Obama's no Hercules.

You can't clean out the Bushian Stables in one day. (or 8 months)

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

33. The bloom is off the rose for much of the world where we are concerned

and Americans are too insular to get it. Many think we have but to ask to get.

We still thrust our styrofoam #1 fingers in the air while the rest of the world thinks "more like 14, dude".

The world has been here multiples of times where the Olympics are concerned, we are just not a novelty anymore. We probably looked about as exciting as a senior bus trip to Atlantic City compared to RIO.

Combine that with our increasingly jingoistic, hostile, violent behavior towards other nationals, what compelling reason is there for the IOC to give us the Olympics?

[anonymous171]

34. Huh? Are Americans really that jingoistic and violent? nt

[Barack_America]

35. How many other countries are currently involved in 2 wars?

Certainly not Brazil, Japan or Spain.

[Echo In Light]

36. Well, a big phony "war," mostly on its own citizenry, and two occupations