Olympics 2016: an inconvenient truth for the President.

[UPDATE]: Welcome, Instapundit readers.

Let me explain what happened here to President Obama with regard to the Olympic bid.

One has to make a distinction between the people of the world, and the governments of the world. The people of the world generally like the USA/Americans/the concept of America for one or more of the following reasons:

  • Because we are free;
  • Because we are vulgar;
  • Because we are loud;
  • And because we visibly do not care if anybody likes that or not.

Meanwhile, most national governments do not like the USA/Americans/the concept of America for one or more of the following reasons:

  • Because we are free;
  • Because we are vulgar;
  • Because we are loud;
  • And because we visibly do not care if anybody likes that or not.

So, when the President went to the IOC to get this valuable thing for his home city and country, I’m sure that he thought that he would be able to remedy the situation.  But all that he did was make it clear to people who don’t like us very much – mostly for the ‘vulgar’ and ‘loud’ bits – that he and the USA could be quite gratifyingly (to them) snubbed.  So they did.  And they enjoyed doing it, because they know that there’s damned little that the USA can do to them about it.

Personally, I’m grateful: this is an incredibly cheap lesson in Foreign Relations 120: Why we don’t have better relations with certain countries.  It is my sincere hope that the President take the hint, and stop worrying quite so much about our overseas reputation.  And by ‘stop worrying quite as much’ I mean ‘visibly do not care.’

Moe Lane

PS: There are quite a few governments that do not hate us, of course.  Unfortunately, these days one thing that they mostly have in common is in having been snubbed by this administration.  It’d be great if that stopped happening.

Crossposted to RedState.

35 thoughts on “Olympics 2016: an inconvenient truth for the President.”

  1. Pingback: Olympics 2016: an inconvenient truth for the President. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState

  2. three thoughts:

    1) It’s a shame the Olympics won’t return here anytime soon.

    2) The MSM kept indicating the President’s visit was somehow tipping the vote to Chicago. Was this more senseless fawning? Can’t understand how this tidbit found its way into so many news outlets’ coverage when the actual result was the exact opposite.

    3) The IOC is RACIST!!

  5. It is my sincere hope that the President take the hint, and stop worrying quite so much about our overseas reputation.

    Replace “our” with “I” for a better understanding of our President.

    Narcissists don’t just stop worrying about their own reputation by choice, by nature. It’s on some level all they care about, and yes, it’s pathological.

  7. I guess they just don’t understand “the Chicago Way.” If we see IOC officials limping around on broken knees we will find their education complete. If not, perhaps that tradition has become emasculated.

    Either way, it’s a winner.

  9. Am I the only one who thinks there’s more than a little bit of simplisime to the idea that we can make everyone love us?

    I mean, most of us figured this one out by our fifth birthday.

  12. I get the feeling that, not only did the MSM think President Neo was tipping the scales in favor of the US, but that even The One and Mrs. One thought that themselves. Hilarious! I can see it playing out in their heads –

    “As the regal couple exit their vehicle with catlike grace, the cameras hungrily vie for a glimpse of The Golden Ones, unsurpassed in all of history for their wisdom, beauty and perfect moral vision. The masses utter a cry of love as they first see the divine couple, and press forward to try to catch the hem of a garment and thus be healed, just as the Glorious Duo have healed not only Chicago, but the 2016 Olympics. And they all lived happily ever after.”

  13. You just *know* that the MSM already had in the can dozens of “Obama Brings Home the Gold” articles ready to print.

  15. “It is my sincere hope that the President take the hint, and stop worrying quite so much about our overseas reputation.”

    It is my sincere hope that I will win the lottery and will not have any more financial worries to speak of. I will buy a ticket today and hope that happens.

    But I think planning my world on the assumption that that desired event will not happen would be the wiser choice.

  16. Sorry, Moe. But the bamster had to change the direction of the news; which was waving strongly in Andrew Breitbart’s direction. By going to Copenhagen. And, getting met there by Oprah, he brought audience “to the show.”

    Just like Jay Leno got the first night he debuted at 10PM. But so far? You know that debut isn’t translating into high enough numbers. And, now Letterman sails in and swipes back audience share. (You see victims? I see acting.) But that’s what makes public opinions varied. And, different.

    It’s true the bamster had a terrible agenda set. And, it’s taken hits. (Didn’t Dubya go off the ‘conservative reservation, by the way?) Could you learn something from history, here?

    Matt Lattimer, who worked as Bush’s speech writer has written “Speech-Less.” An insider’s point of view if there ever was one. And, he concludes by showing his shattered dreams. Where Karl Rove, strictly political, kept putting “bush operatives” into key positions; firing very competent people! It was really ugly behind the scenes. Not that I’m surprised. But you’d be. And, then Lattimer sums it up. Starting in 2004, Bush goes into ‘garbled incoherence.’ Sure, I knew he took his family’s legacy down the toilet. But even knowing that going in, I’m still surprised that most people haven’t figured out the bamster wasn’t the first bomb to go off on us. We just can’t get good people to serve, without bad people, having connections, pushing out all that is good. (Save for the Internet.) Which allows information to flow free-er. Make of it what you will.

  19. To: FLASH

    You’re spot on, friend. Point 2 is interesting. Much of MSM reportage and commentary is rooted in fantasy and self-deception. “ACORN under fire? Gee, that’s the first we’ve heard about it” (Charlie Gibson & the NYT) “Vast but peaceful march on the Capitol by health care skeptics and deficit critics, you say? Naw, didn’t happen. But we did see a small demonstration of drooling racists and assassin wannabees.” (NBC, MSNBC, CBS, etc.)

    When the news media go about with their eyes shut and their fingers in their ears, chanting “lalalala I can’t hear you, I can’t hear you.” Such surprises are bound to happen. We are witnessing the corpse of the MSM, which actually flat-lined last year, finally beginning to rot.

    http://legio-xxi.blodspot.com

  21. There’s a possible silver lining to losing the Olympics bid: Maybe our bids for the 2018 or 2022 World Cups now have a better chance at success.

    The world cares more about the World Cup than the Olympics, anyway, to be honest.

  23. Nah, we’ve actually improved mightily at the game. Still not a global powerhouse — but good enough to have sucked me into fandom after a long life as a baseball freak! Anyway, I’m just saying, the World Cup is ultimately a more prestigious event to land. And in a weird sort of way, yesterday’s developments might actually help our bids for 2018/2022.

  24. This is an excellent formulation of why we lost (in addition to which, when you think about it–giving the Olympics to an international vacation-site like Rio–a first for South America–seems incredibly obvious). It reminds me of being an American college student studying in Austria 30 years ago: a rather superior young German criticized the behavior of American tourists to me by saying that someday HE was going to go to America and start speaking in German loudly in the middle of the street. I thought this was pretty funny (privately), because, while many Europeans even 30 years ago spoke English (and often wanted to to try out their English on us poor Anglos), almost no Americans spoke German then, nor do they today. He was clearly pointing out to me how vulgar and loud Americans are.

  25. I think the IOC chose Rio because it offers more opportunities for graft and bribery. As bad as Chicago is, Rio is worse. The IOC is totally corrupt and has been for years.

  26. “…we visibly do not care if anybody likes that or not.”

    Well, some of us don’t care.

  29. Pingback: Catching up on random things… » The Anchoress | A First Things Blog

  30. I second Frank G. Losing the “Chicago Olympics” probably save the taxpayers a couple of hundred million dollars and deprived the Daily/Jarrett/Obama organized crime family of $25 to $50 Million of graft and corruption income. Those seem like good reasons to me to celebrate Rio getting the games.

  31. Well, it’s a cumulative problem. You want all blame to disappear from Dubya? Go ahead. But Matt Lattimer’s book just came out. And, by figuring out how Dubya failed, you’d see what’s not perfect in our system. We trust incompetents. And, Obama’s not the first. Nor is he the last.

    As to the right, so far, they’re not collecting enough votes to put in anyone that’s not ‘pre-sealed’ by the republican party. Only Sarah Palin stands alone. Or as she’s about to say: GOING ROGUE. It may be like ‘open sesame’ the way lots of people will see through all the games in DC. “What’s this get a life, BS, anyway?” Heck, you could go all the way back to FDR to see how progress got made doing the “progressive’s tap dance.” Or not. Doesn’t matter what any particular individual thinks.

    While I see no downside in the bamster’s trip to Copenhagen. He had to change the direction the news cycle had been put to spinning by Andrew Breitbart. And, he did. His wife also got a few more outfits. And, the White House is a nice hotel. It supports presidents who dissolve into “incoherence.” Matt Lattimer’s apt discription of what fell apart when Dubya held the White House. Ain’t no magic dragon gonna make it disappear.

    There’s extra credit if you can remember back to how Bill Clinton dealt with the changing of the guard in DC. And, by now? Gingrich has come and gone. And, Bill remains more popular than Newt.

  32. I dare the Euros to say something bad about our beloved Dear Leader. I just dare them. Come on guys be creative, do your worst. We’re waiting to see if you can top us.

  33. Michelle had one of the funniest lines of the day, and but it has not been widely reported: “Sitting on my father’s lap watching Olga and Nadia, Carl Lewis and dreaming…” In case you are keeping score, Carl Lewis’ first Olympics was in 1984, when Michelle was 20.

    In any case, Moe is right. Any time any US President makes a request, there is an unspoken “or else”. “Or else” can be anything: futures votes, foreign aid, budget favors, sanctions, war, whatever. In this case, there was no “Or else”. The IOC took the opportunity to say “You may be President of the US, but we are important, too.

Comments are closed.